- 


V 

*,     - 


"  When  near  the  Jwuse  he  saw  Julia  out  in  Hie  yard  cutting  a 
bouquet  of  roses  for  Mrs.  Boggs." — [SEB  CHAPTER  XLII.] 


SILAS  COBB 


A  STORY 
OF  SUPERVISION 


BY 

DAN  V.  STEPHENS 


AUTHOR  OF 

PHELPS  AND  HIS  TEACHERS 


HAMMOND  BROS.  &  STEPHENS 
FREMONT,  NEBRASKA 


COPYRIGHT,    1900,   1901   AND   1902 

— BY — 

DAN  V.  STEPHENS 

FIRST  EDITION,  JUNE,  1901,  5000  COPIES 

SECOND  EDITION,  JUNK,  1902,  5000  COPIES 


PREFACE 

THE  story  of  "Silas  Cobb"  in  the  main  is  based 
on  facts.  All  the  characters,  with  one  or  two 
exceptions,  are  chosen  from  among  the  acquaint- 
ances of  the  author,  and  in  real  life  played  the  parts 
assigned  to  them  in  the  story.  'Tis  true,  the  incidents 
are  slightly  embellished,  and  a  few  even  are  drawn 
from  the  imagination  in  order  to  secure  the  desired  les- 
sons. 

While  in  this  story  "Silas  Cobb"  appears  as  he 
really  existed,  yet  should  you  go  to  Brush  county  and 
ask  the  people  what  sort  of  a  man  he  was,  you  would 
get  a  very  commonplace  account  of  him.  You  would 
find  it  hard  to  reconcile  their  accounc  with  this  narra- 
tive. The  reason  for  this  discrepancy  lies  in  the  fact 
that  few  of  us  know  even  our  most  intimate  friends  as 
they  really  exist.  If  we  could  only  draw  aside  the 
curtain  and  look  into  their  hearts  and  see  all  that  lies 
hidden  there,  we  would  realize  that,  in  spite  of  many 
outward  seeming  inconsistencies,  their  lives  were  trend- 
ing upward,  and  that  many  of  them  were  really  great. 
As  it  is,  we  only  see  the  shell  that  covers  them,  and 
they  seem  to  us  to  do  so  many  strange  and  complex 
things  that  we  often  find  ourselves  doubting  either 
their  sanity  or  their  honesty.  We  see  them  with  our 
own  eyes  and  according  to  our  own  hearts. 

So  that  is  the  reason  why  you  would  find  only  a  com- 
monplace account  of  "Silas  Cobb"  among  the  people  of 
Brush  county.  The  same  may  be  said  of  "old  Henry 
Boggs,"  who  lived  quietly  among  his  neighbors  with- 
out their  being  conscious  of  his  nobleness  of  charac- 
ter. To  them  he  was  only  "old  Henry  Boggs,"  and 


6  SILAS  COBB 

much  like  other  men.  It  would  require  a  great,  loving, 
honest  heart  to  measure  the  real  worth  of  "Henry 
Boggs,"  and  such  a  heart  didn't  happen  to  neighbor 
with  him.  But  there  came  into  his  life  in  the  course 
of  time  a  sweet-faced  country  girl  who  was  great 
enough  to  measure  his  heart.  This  was  "Josephine 
Alger,"  a  girl  you  would  not  look  at  the  second  time  in 
passing.  Yet  she  was  so  good  the  people  absorbed  her 
life  unconsciously.  She,  too,  passed  as  a  very  ordinary 
woman  among  her  friends. 

Yet  the  same  screen  that  hid  the  virtues  of  "Silas 
Cobb,"  "Henry  Boggs"  and  "Josephine  Alger,"  also 
hid  the  vices  and  hypocrisy  of  "Professor  Littleman." 

The  moral,  however,  is  that  heroes  and  heroines  are 
always  among  us,  if  our  hearts  are  great  enough  to 
find  them.  Our  custom  is  to  worship  those  whom 
some  one  else  has  found  and  labeled,  "This  is  a  hero." 
Those  we  possess  we  seldom  cherish.  Surrounded  by 
heroes  and  heroines,  we  wander  away  to  other  lands  to 
worship  the  labeled  idols  instead  of  seeking  out  our 
very  own  at  home. 

While  this  story  was  told  in  idle  moments,  and  by 
one  unused  to  the  task,  it  is  hoped  that  from  the  inci- 
dents related  many  valuable  lessons  may  be  drawn  by 
the  discerning  reader.  THE  AUTHOR. 

FREMONT,  NEBR.,  June  1,  1901. 


SILAS  COBB 


CHAPTER  I. 

THE  scenes  and  characters  of  this  narrative  belong 
to  Brush  county,  Illinois.  Should  you  meet  one 
of  these  characters  you  could  describe  the 
country  he  came  from,  or  if  you  should  see  the  coun- 
try you  could  form  a  fair  estimate  of  the  people  it 
would  produce.  Both  have  characteristics  in  com- 
mon. Should  you  take  your  map  and  try  to  locate 
Brush  county  you  would  fail,  because  its  very 
ordinary  name  is  hidden  behind  a  fictitious  one, 
but  the  country  to  which  it  belongs  lies  within  the 
fork  made  by  the  Ohio  and  Mississippi  rivers.  A 
closer  description  might  invite  too  much  scrutiny, 
which  would  embarrass  our  characters  as  well  as 
the  author.  The  physical  features  of  the  country 
are  rough,  and  the  soil  is  not  very  productive.  The 
hills  are  worn  down  to  the  yellow  clay,  and  here  and 
there  is  an  abandoned  field  grown  up  with  brush.  The 
country  roads  are  well  worn,  showing  the  result  of 
almost  a  century's  travel.  The  aspect  of  the  whole 
region  is  that  of  well  advanced  maturity,  if  not  old  age. 
The  county  seat  of  Brush  county  contains  about  two 
thousand  inhabitants,  and  has  one  railroad  passing 
through  it.  Some  of  the  citizens  have  been  heard  tc 
say  that  the  town  was  not  up-to-date,  and  this  statement 
they  attempted  to  prove  by  pointing  to  the  fact  that  the 
Town  Council  had  refused  time  and  again  to  pass  an 
ordinance  preventing  the  pasturing  of  cows  on  the  pub- 


8  SILAS  COBB 

lie  common.  This  action  of  the  council  so  chagrined 
that  portion  of  the  population  that  did  not  own  cows, 
that  they  nick-named  the  town  Cowville,  and  by  that 
name  it  will  henceforth  be  known  in  this  narrative. 

The  town  is  very  old  and  has  a  quaint  appearance. 
The  residence  houses  generally  stand  on  the  edge  of  the 
street,  and  not  upon  the  center  of  the  lot  to  which 
they  belong,  surrounded  by  a  spacious  yard. 

The  old-fashioned  county  fairs  are  held  each  fall  in 
the  same  old  buildings  that  were  erected  in  ante-bellum 
days.  The  court-house  bears  the  date  of  1840  over  the 
door,  or  did  at  the  time  of  which  this  narrative  treats. 
Even  the  county  officers  at  this  period  had  an  old,  musty 
air  about  them.  The  auditor  had  been  in  office  since 
the  year  before  Abraham  Lincoln  had  been  assassinated. 
Everything  and  everybody  savored  of  the  past.  To 
this  day,  should  you  happen  to  be  in  Cowville  on 
county  court  days,  you  would  hear  the  sheriff 
calling  the  county  court  to  order  from  the  balcony  of 
the  ancient  temple  of  justice.  He  would  come  out  on 
this  high  forum  and  in  a  loud  voice  proclaim  to  the 
town:  "Hear-e!  Hear-e!  Hear-e!  The  county  court  is 
now  in  session."  A  little  later  you  will  see  this  same 
functionary  appear  again  on  the  balcony,  or,  if  he 
doesn't  feel  like  making  his  act  so  formal,  he  will  sim- 
ply stick  his  head  out  of  the  window  and  call  the 
desired  witness:  "Hugh  Leonard!  Hugh  Leonard! 
Hugh  Leonard!"  his  voice  echoing  from  building  to 
building.  Down  on  the  public  square  there,  some- 
where, Hugh  is  waiting  to  be  called.  If  the  sheriff 
doesn't  see  any  movement  below  as  if  Hugh  were  com- 
ing, he  sings  out  to  someone  he  knows:  "Say,  Jim, 
do  you  see  Hugh  Leonard  around  there?"  "No!" 
"Well,  call  him,  then."  Jim  takes  up  the  call  and 


SILAS  COBB  9 

bellows  forth  Hugh  Leonard's  name  the  traditional 
number  of  times.  So  the  customs  of  a  people  long  ago 
dead  and  forgotten  cling  to  them  still. 


He  'ii-iiv  nnirei-sally  called  "The  Professor.'1' 


CHAPTER  II. 

IT  was  in  this  county,  among  these  old  things,  that 
the  characters  of  our  story  lived  and  acted  their 
little  part  in  life.  It  was  back  in  the  eighties  that 
Mr.  Littleman  was  elected  for  the  third  time  county 
superintendent  of  schools  of  Brush  county.  Before 
the  time  of  his  election  he  was  principal  of  the  Cowville 
schools.  He  was  universally  called  "The  Professor," 
and  since  he  was  the  only  professor  in  the  county, 
there  was  no  confusion  from  the  wrong  man's  answer- 
ing to  the  title. 

The  Professor  was  a  man  of  considerable  book  learn- 
ing, but  he  was  unfortunate  in  being  born  with  poor  j  udg- 
ment  and  a  bad  heart.  llowevei',  this  latter  fact  was 
not  generally  known  to  the  people  of  the  county,  and 
when  the  Republican  convention  met,  the  Professor 
was  renominated  without  opposition.  A  few  days 
later  the  Democratic  convention  met,  and  in  casting 
around  for  a  suitable  man  for  the  place,  it  found  itself 
short  of  material  for  that  office,  notwithstanding  it  was 
the  dominant  party  of  the  county. 

After  much  talk  about  the  advisability  of  taking  that 
office  out  of  politics  as  much  as  possible,  the  conven- 
tion endorsed  the  Professor's  nomination.  It  might  be 
remai-ked,  however,  incidentally,  that  the  Professor  did 
not  poll  the  entire  Democratic  vote,  owing  to  an  un- 
timely remark  made  by  one  of  his  friends  to  the  effect 
that  they  (the  Democrats)  did  not  have  a  man  among 
them  that  could  read  or  write,  therefore  none  able  to 
fill  the  office,  so  they  were  compelled  to  seek  a  candi- 
date from  among  the  Republicans.  Strange,  but  it  is 
said  to  be  true,  this  remark  had  a  cooling  effect  on  the 


SILAS  COBB  11 

sensitive  Democrats,  and  some  agitated  the  matter  to 
such  an  extent  that  there  was  talk  of  calling  a  new  con- 
vention to  place  a  candidate  in  the  tield  against  Profes- 
sor Littleman.  The  only  reason  this  was  not  done  was 
the  original  one,  that  no  one  could  be  found  suitable 
for  the  position. 

There  was  one  young  man  by  the  name  of  Silas 
Cobb,  teaching  in  District  No.  8,  in  Muddy  Creek 
township,  said  to  be  a  Democrat,  who  would  suit  them 
in  every  particular  except  one— he  wasn't  of  age.  Old 
Henry  Boggs,  from  Muddy  Creek,  brought  him  out, 
and  had  much  to  say  about  his  sterling  qualities.  It, 
was  finally  decided  to  let  matters  go  as  they  were,  and 
nothing  more  was  said  about  it.  Even  Henry  Boggs 
himself,  the  author  of  the  idea  of  nominating  this 
young  man,  forgot  the  incident,  and  the  prospective 
candidate  never  heard  of  it. 

The  circumstance  referred  to,  which  was  soon  for- 
gotten by  everybody  else  connected  with  it,  reached  the 
ears  of  Professor  Littleman,  and  the  events  which  fol- 
lowed show  how  one  can  create  an  opponent  by  giving 
his  own  recognition  to  such  a  possibility. 

Old  Henry  Boggs'  protege  was  in  good  standing  at 
the  county  superintendent's  office,  and  had  been  since 
he  began  teaching  three  years  previously.  His  work 
had  been  praised  by  the  Professor,  and  the  patrons  of 
his  school  were  greatly  pleased  with  him.  No  cloud 
li:id  yet  appeared  on  his  horizon  and  the  future  seemed 
full  of  promise.  Each  day  unfolded  new  ideas  and 
new  plans  were  laid  for  the  improvement  of  his  work. 
His  education,  while  sufficient  in  principle,  had  been 
one  along  solid  lines  and  little  opportunity  had  been 
afforded  him  for  acquiring  social  polish.  He  was  a 
country  boy,  plain,  honest,  and  in  a  physical  sense 
rather  awkward,  but  yet  not  without  prepossessing 
qualities. 


CHAPTER  III. 

PROFESSOR  LITTLEMAN  of  all  others,  was  the 
only  man  who  remembered  Silas  Cobb  as  a  pro- 
spective candidate  for  the  office  of  county  super- 
intendent. He  remembered  it  for  a  purpose.  He 
reasoned  that  if  he  were  not  disposed  of  by  the  next 
campaign,  there  would  be  no  doubt  of  his  nomination 
by  the  Democrats,  with  good  prospect  of  his  election. 
If  he  could  get  him  out  of  the  county,  there  would  be 
no  one  left  for  the  Democrats  to  nominate,  and  he 
would  have  clear  sailing  again. 

With  a  rather  indefinite  idea  as  to  what  course  he 
should  pursue,  he  concluded  to  visit  Mr.  Cobb's  school, 
and  perhaps  something  would  suggest  itself  to  him. 
During  the  fall  term  he  drove  out  one  morning  to 
Muddy  Creek  and  called  at  No.  8.  Mr.  Cobb  greeted 
him  cordially,  as  was  his  custom,  and  was  soon  eagerly 
engaged  in  a  conversation  with  the  Professor,  telling 
him  of  his  work  and  plans.  The  school-room  had  a 
busy  air  about  it,  and  the  pupils,  after  giving  the  Su- 
perintendent a  passing  glance,  went  on  with  their  work 
without  paying  further  attention  to  either  the  Professor 
or  teacher,  who  sat  chatting  in  the  rear  of  the  room. 
The  pupils  moved  about  the  room  as  necessity  required, 
in  consultation  over  their  work.  There  was  a  busy, 
interested  air  about  the  whole  school. 

While  the  Professor  sat  there  taking  note  of  the 
work  of  the  pupils,  the  idea  occurred  to  him  that  many 
people  would  consider  that  Mr.  Cobb  kept  very  poor 
order,  and  if  their  attention  were  called  to  it,  he  might 
lose  much  of  his  influence  and  reputation.  When  the 
school  closed  at  four  o'clock,  the  Professor  offered  a  few 


SILAS  COBB 

suggestions,  among  them  that  his  order  might  be  im- 
proved somewhat. 

Mr.  Cobb  took  the  suggestion  seriously  to  heart,  and 
began  to  look  into  the  condition  of  his  school  with  a 
view  of  strengthening  the  weak  points.  He  thanked 
the  Professor  for  the  criticism  and  promised  to  con- 
sider the  matter  thoroughly.  He  then  invited  his  visi- 
tor to  go  home  with  him  to  old  Mr.  Boggs'  where  he 
boarded,  and  spend  the  night.  The  Professor  accepted 
the  invitation,  and  they  walked  together,  leading  the 
Professor's  horse,  down  to  Mr.  Boggs'  home.  As  they 
neared  the  house,  they  saw  old  Mr.  Boggs  coming  in 
from  the  field  with  a  load  of  bright,  new  corn  fresh 
from  the  husks.  They  met  at  the  barn-yard  gate,  just 
as  the  old  man  was  clubbing  and  yelling  at  some  old 
razor-back  hogs  that  were  attempting  to  follow  his 
wagon  through  the  gate.  "Howdy -do,  gentlemen — 
plague  take  them  hogs,  anyhow — howdy  Mr.  Little- 
man,  howdy  Silas.  Glad  t'  see  ye,  Professor.  Come 
right  in,  er  go  up  t'  the  house,  an'  take  a  seat  till  I  git 
the  feedin'  done.  Mighty  glad  t'  see  ye  come  down. 
Take  the  Professor  up,  Silas,  an'  keep  him  company 
till  I  git  the  work  done",  Mr.  Boggs  ran  on  in  his 
warm-hearted  manner,  scarcely  giving  the  Professor  a 
chance  to  thank  him  for  his  welcome. 

The  Professor  didn't  go  up  to  the  house.  He  helped 
old  Mr.  Boggs  put  up  the  horses,  and  talked  while  he 
worked.  Mr.  Cobb  excused  himself  and  went  to  work 
on  his  lessons  for  the  next  day.  This  gave  the  Profes 
sor  a  good  opportunity  to  sound  Mr.  Boggs. 

"Well,  Professor,  how  did  ye  find  the  boy's  school?" 
inquired  Mr.  Boggs. 

••First-rate,"  answered  the  Professor  promptly. 
"Silas  is  a  fine  boy.  He's  young  yet,  but  I  think,  if 


14 


SILAS  COBB 


he  keeps  on  improving,  he  will  be  a  good  teacher — that 
is,  a  pretty  good  teacher,  in  time.     He  seems  to  be  doing 


"Howdy-do,  gentlemen — plague  take  them  hogs,  anyhow." 

fairly  well  in  his  work.  I  was  just  wondering  if  you 
had  ever  heard  any  criticism  on  him — his  order,  for 
instance." 


SILAS  COBB  15 

"No,  I  hain't,"  said  Mr.  Boggs.  "He's  rated  high 
on  that  p'int." 

"Well,  now,  that  is  just  what  I  thought,"  replied 
the  Professor,  "but  I  am  trying  to  think  who  it  was 
that  reported  to  me  that  his  discipline  was  simply  out- 
rageous— some  one  at  my  office  told  me — said  his 
school  was  a  bedlam,  and  I  came  out  on  purpose  to  see 
for  myself.  Now,  who  could  that  have  been?  Well, 
I  can't  remember  now,  and  it  doesn't  matter,  but  I 
was  glad  to  find  the  school  was  nothing  like  as  bad  as 
reported.  Yes,  Silas  is  a  good  boy,  and  I  look  for  him 
to  develop  in  time  to  doing  better  work.  How  long 
has  he  taught  here,  Mr.  Boggs?" 

"This  is  makin'  his  third  year  now,  an'  plagued  ef  I 
wouldn't  like  t'  see  the  man  who  told  ye  his  school  wuz 
a  reg'lar  bedlam." 

"I  am  sorry  1  can't  remember  who  it  was,  Mr.  Boggs, 
but  don't  say  a  word  about  it.  I  wouldn't  have  Mr. 
Cobb  know  it,  for  he  is  sensitive  and  it  would  discour- 
age him.  Don't  hurt  the  boy's  feelings  by  mentioning 
it.  The  same  party,  whoever  he  was,  said  something 
about  him  being  here  too  long — ought  to  have  a 
change — be  better  for  the  school,  or  something  like 
that.  I  do  wish  I  could  recall  his  name,  but  it's  no 
use.  I  was  just  thinking  if  that  was  the  case,  I  would 
see  to  it  that  Mr.  Cobb  got  a  better  school  elsewhere. 
I  have  a  place  I  could  recommend  him  to  right  now,  in 
Johnson  county,  where  he  could  get  $10  more  a  month 
than  you  pay  him  here." 

"That's  mighty  kind  uv  ye,  Mr.  Littleman,  but 
when  Si  Cobb  wants  $10  more  a  month,  he'll  git  it  right 
here,  an'  I  tell  ye  now,  it's  all  a  lie  about  him  bein' 
here  too  long,  an'  not  keepin'  order.  There  ain't  a 
child  in  school  what  don't  love  Si  Cobb.  They  learn 


16  SILAS  COBB 

as  they  never  did  afore,  an'  t'  let  Si  Cobb  go  would 
raise  the  biggest  row  ye  ever  hearn  uv.  Why,  there 
ain't  a  man,  woman  er  child  in  this  whole  country  about 
that  ain't  fer  Si  Cobb  every  day  in  the  week.  The 
man  that  told  ye  them  lies  can't  live  in  these  parts." 

The  Professor  saw  he  had  gone  too  far  and  was 
likely  to  arouse  old  Mr.  Boggs'  suspicion,  so  he  deftly 
changed  the  subject,  after  passing  a  compliment  on 
the  teacher  to  make  sure  of  covering  up  any  appear- 
ance of  prejudice  on  his  part.  The  next  day,  in  leav- 
ing the  district,  he  met  three  other  patrons  of  the 
school,  all  enemies  to  old  man  Boggs,  but  friends  of 
the  teacher.  To  them  he  told  in  the  same  manner, 
what  he  claimed  he  had  heard  about  the  school.  These 
men  were  not  of  the  same  honest,  rugged  character  as 
Boggs,  so  they  were  impressed  with  the  story.  They 
had  never  heard  of  such  a  thing  before,  or  even  dreamed 
it  possible;  but  coming  from  the  county  superintend- 
ent, it  had  its  effect. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

ON  Saturday  there  were  several  patrons  gathered 
at  the  Muddy  Creek  post-office  to  get  their  mail 
and  do  the  week's  trading  at  the  general  store. 
The  story  was  told  there  to  the  effect  that  Si  Cobb's 
school  was  a  perfect  bedlam,  and  someone  in  the  dis- 
trict had  sent  for  the  superintendent  to  come  out  and 
see  what  could  be  done  about  it. 

The  next  day  at  church  there  was  more  talk  about  it. 
The  people  gathered  in  knots  discussing  the  matter.  It 
was  now  reported  that  in  case  the  school  got  clear 
beyond  Silas'  control,  the  superintendent  had  kindly 
offered  to  get  him  a  school  in  another  county  at  a 
higher  salary.  One  warm  friend  of  Mr.  Cobb's,  who 
didn't  know  but  these  reports  were  true,  declared  that, 
"after  all,  that  one-horse  professor  is  not  a  bad  fellow. 
That  shows  he  has  a  heart  all  right."  So  the  talk  ran 
on,  and  in  the  meantime  Silas  Cobb  was  teaching  a 
Sunday  school  class  of  large  boys  in  the  old  church, 
perfectly  oblivious  to  all  the  comment  his  supposed  fail- 
ure was  causing.  Finally  someone  went  to  old  Henry 
Boggs,  who  was  the  director  of  the  district,  and 
asked  him  about  the  matter.  When  he  was  told  that 
everybody  was  talking  about  Silas'  failure,  the  old 
man's  wrath  was  a  study.  He  fumed  and  swore.  He 
declared  the  people  of  that  "deestrict  must  be  a  lot  uv 
blankety-blank  fools,  ef  they  didn't  know  a  little  bit  on 
their  own  account."  Here  they  had  a  first-class  school 
for  two  or  three  years,  not  a  word  of  complaint  of  any 
kind,  till  one  day  the  Professor  comes  out  with  a  story 
about  what  some  one  should  have  said  about  the  school, 
and  the  next  day  everybody  believing  it,  or  at  least 


18  SILAS  COBB 

apparently  not  knowing  enough  not  to  believe  it,  when 
they  have  the  evidence  of  a  first-class  school  to  prove 
it  by. 

That  night  when  the  teacher  got  home,  old  Henry 
was  still  fuming  about  the  reports. 

"Silas,"  he  almost  yelled,  "what  kind  uv  a  school 
air  ye  keepin'  up  there,  anyhow?  What's  all  these 
reports  comin'  t'  me  'bout  ye  not  keepin'  order,  an' 
bein'  here  too  long,  an'  all  that  stuff?  Plagued  ef  I 
don't  make  it  warm  fer  somebody  'fore  this  thing's 
over." 

Mr.  Cobb  was  surprised,  but  he  knew  the  old  man 
well  enough,  having  lived  under  his  roof  for  three  years, 
so  he  was  not  appalled  by  any  means  at  the  fierce  man- 
ner in  which  he  was  greeted. 

"Why,  Mr.  Boggs,  I  am  not  aware  of  anything 
unusual  happening  at  the  school.  The  work  is  going 
along  very  nicely;  in  fact,  better  than  ever  before.  I 
was  just  thinking  this  afternoon  as  I  walked  home  how 
splendidly  every  class  was  doing.  There  are  my  big 
boys  and  girls  so  interested  in  their  work  I  can  hardly 
get  them  to  take  proper  exercise  at  recess.  They  want 
to  keep  at  books  and  paper.  The  little  fellows  hunt 
the  fields  over  for  plants  and  insects  which  we  classify 
and  name.  We  now  have  a  large  collection.  The 
truth  is  they  are  so  interested  in  their  work  that  I  find 
it  very  difficult  to  supervise  all  they  are  now  doing.  I 
can't  work  enough  hours  in  the  twenty-four  to  do  all  I 
need  to  do  to  keep  those  boys  and  girls  properly  pro- 
vided with  work.  What  do  you  see  in  all  that,  Mr. 
Boggs,  to  warrant  your  bad  humor." 

"Well,  I'll  jest  tell  ye,  Si,  t'  be  truthful,  I  wuz  so 
blamed  mad  at  the  fools  uv  this  deestrict  that  I  mought 
have  been  a  mite  rough  with  ye,  son,  but  it  wan't 


SILAS  COBB  19 

'cause  I  wuz  a-blamin'  you.  I  knowed  ye  wuz  doin' 
right.  But  some  half-idgit  has  been  tellin'  that  ye 
hain't  got  no  order  iu  yer  school,  an'  that  ye  need  t'  go 
somewhere  else  fer  a  change,  an'  all  sich  as  that.  Now 
who  tells  this,  Lord  only  knows,  fer  I  don't.  That 
Littlehead  Professor  told  me  as  how  some  one  told  him, 
an'  the  feller  who  told  him  he  had  f ergot.  Then  he 
asked  me  t'  say  nothin'  t'  ye  about  it,  as  it  might  hurt 
yer  feelin's,  but  blame  me,  ef  he  didn't  peddle  it 
'round  the  deestrict  'fore  he  left,  an'  it's  been  talked  by 
everybody  fer  a  week,  an'  you  an'  me  never  knowed  it. 
That  Professor's  a  snake,  an'  ef  he  don't  watch  out,  old 
Henry  Boggs  will  show  him  he's  no  fool." 

After  inquiry,  Silas  Cobb  learned  to  his  amazement 
that  within  a  week's  time  his  reputation  had  been 
greatly  damaged.  He  could  not  tell  from  what  source 
the  blow  came.  He  could  not  quite  understand  the 
Professor's  attitude.  It  looked  a  little  suspicious,  but 
search  as  he  might,  he  could  find  no  motive.  So  he 
dropped  the  Professor  out  of  the  subject,  and  sought 
another  reason  for  his  trouble.  He  was  to  read  a  paper 
at  the  first  meeting  of  the  "literary,"  which  would 
convene  the  following  night.  All  the  patrons  and 
young  people  of  the  district  attend  these  weekly  gather- 
ings, where  an  entertaining  program  is  given.  On  this 
particular  night  the  schoolhouse  was  packed.  Every- 
body in  the  district  able  to  walk  or  ride,  came.  It  was 
given  out  at  school  in  the  afternoon  by  Cobb  that  he 
desired  a  full  attendance  of  the  patrons,  as  he  proposed 
to  talk  to  them  on  school  matters.  Everybody  was 
anxious  to  hear  what  "Mr.  Silas"  would  have  to  say. 

The  program  was  carried  out  without  anyone's  giv- 
ing it  much  attention.  They  were  too  deeply  inter- 
ested in  the  speech  Silas  Cobb  was  going  to  make. 


20  SILAS  COBB 

They  always  felt  interested  when  he  was  on  the  pro- 
gram, but  to-night  he  was  to  vindicate  himself  of  the 
charges  made  against  him.  The  last  thing  on  the  pro- 
gram was  Mr.  Cobb's  paper.  He  came  forward,  laid 
his  paper  down  on  the  desk,  and  said: 

"I  will  substitute  for  my  paper  something  more  to 
the  point.  I  sent  out  word  to  you  this  evening  request- 
ing your  presence  here.  I  wanted  to  talk  to  you  about 
some  rumors  which  I  had  just  heard.  I  sent  you  word 
by  the  pupils  of  my  school.  They  had  heard  these 
rumors  long  before  I  did,  but  not  a  single  one  of  them 
had  the  heart  to  repeat  them  to  me.  They  felt  instinct- 
ively that  someone  was  mistaken,  and  they  did  not  feel 
like  hurting  my  feelings  by  telling  me  of  these  criti- 
cisms. I  have  since  learned  how  valiantly  they  have 
denounced  the  charge  that  their  school  was  a  bedlam  of 
confusion.  How  such  an  impression  could  get  abroad 
is  past  my  understanding.  It  would  seem  that  such 
charges  would  first  come  from  the  pupils.  But  in  this 
case  there  is  not  a  child  who  does  not  deny  the  truth- 
fulness of  them. 

"I  am  told  that  Superintendent  Littleman  reported 
that  some  person  had  made  the  complaint  to  him.  No 
one  has  been  able  to  find  that  person.  I  would  like 
very  much  to  face  him  here  to-night.  I  know  I  have 
no  enemies  in  this  district.  I  know  that  if  anyone  did 
have  a  criticism  to  make  on  my  school,  he  would  come 
straight  to  me  with  it,  and  say,  'Silas,  I  am  afraid  your 
school  is  not  as  orderly  as  it  might  be.'  I  would  then 
thank  him  for  it,  and  at  once  examine  it  with  a  critical 
eye,  to  find  if  the  charge  were  true  or  imagined. 

"Superintendent  Littleman  did  visit  my  school.  He 
found  some  good  things,  but  I  am  frank  to  say  to  you 
that  he  did  not  praise  my  work  very  much.  He  sug- 


SILAS  COBB  21 

gested  to  me  that  my  order  might  be  better,  and  that 
the  manners  of  the  pupils  could  be  improved.  I 
thanked  him  for  the  criticism,  and  have  since  made  an 
effort,  even  against  my  own  best  judgment,  to  follow 
his  suggestions.  There  are  various  notions  about 
schoolroom  order.  Some  want  the  schoolroom  to  be 
as  silent  as  the  grave.  It  is  their  hobby.  I  am  not  of 
that  class.  I  want  my  pupils  to  feel  free  and  easy  in 
their  movements.  1  want  them  to  do  their  work  as 
quietly  as  need  be,  and  I  try  to  teach  them  that  unnec- 
essary noise  and  movement  is  a  waste  of  energy.  When 
you  go  into  a  factory  you  do  not  stop  at  the  threshhold 
and  ask  yourself  about  the  noise  of  the  establishment; 
you  are  impressed  at  once  with  the  great  work  going 
on.  You  see  every  workman  intent  on  his  piece,  or  at 
least  he  should  be,  and  he  is  working  with  as  little  or 
much  noise  as  his  work  allows.  No  one  is  employed 
in  there  to  keep  order.  There  is  a  foreman  who  gives 
each  man  a  piece  of  work  to  do,  or  a  machine  to  run. 

"That  is  the  way  I  try  to  run  my  school.  Come  and 
see  us  to-morrow,  and  you  will  find  each  boy  and  girl 
bent  on  some  task.  If  you  look  a  little  deeper,  you 
will  find  his  task  is  pleasant.  He  is  enjoying  it  very 
much.  He  knows  of  very  little  going  on  around  him. 
If  you  should  speak  to  him  he  would  probably  not  hear 
you  the  first  time.  He  is  absorbed  in  what  he  is  doing. 
If  he  makes  a  little  noise  sometimes,  he  is  not  con- 
scious of  it,  nor  are  many  of  his  mates,  because  they 
are  busy  also.  When  I  find  a  boy  who  dislikes  school, 
I  sometimes  spend  weeks  working  with  him  to  get  him 
started  on  something  he  likes,  or  make  clear  to  him 
difficult  points  that  have  made  him  dislike  school. 

"If  a  boy  is  absorbed  in  his  work,  and  all  at  once 
runs  on  to  some  matter  he  wishes  to  speak  about  with 


22  SILAS  COBB 

a  boy  across  the  room,  he  gets  up  like  any  gentleman 
would  do  here  to-night,  and  walks  over  to  the  boy 
with  whom  he  wishes  to  speak.  My  school  works  and 
acts  just  as  it  pleases  while  it  works.  I  wish  to  say  to 
you,  however,  that  the  school  learned  to  work  first,  be- 
fore it  was  allowed  to  act  free  of  restraint. 

"If  you  will  come  to  our  school,  you  will  find  us  too 
busy  to  pay  any  attention  to  small  noises.  I  hope  you 
may  never  find  me  wasting  my  time  listening  for  the 
traditional  pin  to  drop. 

"You  ought  to  be  able  to  answer  for  yourselves, 
whether  or  not  your  children  have  advanced  as  they 
should  while  under  my  direction.  I  hope  they  have, 
and  I  assure  you  I  have  put  forth  an  honest,  earnest 
effort  to  do  my  work  in  the  best  approved  manner." 

Silas  sat  down  amid  hearty  applause  from  everybody 
in  the  house,  and  he  had  scarcely  taken  his  seat,  and 
the  applause  ceased,  when  a  dozen  patrons  were  trying 
to  speak  at  once.  Finally,  the  one  with  the  loudest 
voice  drowned  out  the  others,  and  made  a  complimen- 
tary speech  upon  Mr.  Cobb's  work.  He  was  followed 
by  others,  and  at  last  a  resolution  endorsing  his  work 
in  the  strongest  terms  was  passed,  every  soul  voting 
for  it. 

The  literary  adjourned,  and  everybody  who  could 
get  to  the  teacher  shook  his  hand.  He  was  reinstated 
again  as  the  biggest  man  in  the  district  by  all  odds, 
and  old  Henry  Boggs  came  next. 


CHAPTER  V. 

ABOUT  three  months  after  the  incidents  of  the 
literary,  a  couuty  teachers'  association  was  held 
at  Cowville.  Under  all  circumstances  it  would 
have  been  very  proper  for  the  county  superintendent 
to  place  Silas  Cobb  on  the  program.  He  was  a 
representative  country  teacher  from  the  northwest 
corner  of  the  county,  and  would  have  been  better  able 
to  discuss  subjects  pertaining  to  country  schools  than 
any  other  teacher  in  the  county.  This  was  not  done, 
however,  nor  was  he  notified,  as  other  teachers  were, 
of  the  meeting.  No  program  had  been  sent  him.  All 
this  occurred  to  Mr.  Cobb  as  a  natural  thing.  He  did 
not  expect  to  be  placed  on  the  program,  nor  did  he 
want  to  be.  He  naturally  thought  he  had  been  over- 
looked in  sending  out  programs,  or  it  had  been  sent 
him  and  lost  in  the  mails. 

The  meeting  was  held  as  advertised,  and  Mr.  Cobb 
was  present.  Every  teacher  there,  except  Silas  Cobb, 
was  called  upon  to  express  an  opinion  at  different  times 
during  the  day.  There  was  a  sharp  discussion  of  one 
subject  on  the  program,  in  which  he  participated  to  his 
credit,  bethought,  but  the  Superintendent  very  severely 
criticised  every  point  he  made,  and  it  seemed  to  the 
teachers  present  not  only  uncalled  for,  but  an  incor- 
rect position  on  the  subject.  These  incidents  began  to 
open  Mr.  Cobb's  eyes  to  the  bare  fact  that  for  some 
cause  or  other  he  had  the  ill-will  of  the  Professor.  He 
felt  thei-e  must  be  a  misunderstanding  of  some  kind. 
As  soon  as  he  came  to  this  conclusion,  he  found  from 
his  point  of  view  there  was  only  one  other  thing  to  do. 
He  must  go  to  the  Professor  and  frankly  ask  him  if  he 


24  SILAS  COBB 

had  erred  in  his  conduct  in  any  manner.  When  the 
meeting  closed  he  walked  up  to  the  Professor  and  at 
the  first  opportunity  he  spoke  to  him. 

"Professor,  I  have  just  been  thinking  to-day,  that 
you  or  I,  one,  or  probably  both,  were  laboring  under 
false  impressions,  and  I  know  of  no  more  satisfactory 
or  honorable  way  of  settling  the  matter  than  taking  it 
up  between  us  personally,  and  sifting  it  to  the  bottom. 
To  be  frank  with  you,  I  am  rather  surprised  and  hurt 
at  the  manner  in  which  you  have  treated  me  to-day.  I 
have  overlooked  many  little  things  that  I  might  have 
taken  offense  at,  because  I  thought  it  simply  an  over- 
sight, but  to-day  you  called  on  every  one  present  but 
me  to  discuss  subjects  at  issue,  until  it  was  a  conspicu- 
ous fact  that  I  was  the  only  one  omitted.  When  I 
took  occasion  to  debate  a  matter  I  felt  I  was  capable  of 
discussing,  you  almost  insulted  me  with  your  brusque 
and  vigorous  criticism.  Now  what  I  want  to  know  is 
this:  Have  I  in  any  manner  neglected  my  duty  to  you 
or  my  school,  or  have  I  been  unfortunate  enough  to 
offend  you?  Or  am  I  unduly  sensitive  in  regard  to  the 
manner  in  which  I  have  been  treated?" 

The  Professor  was  not  used  to  a  bold  policy  like 
that.  He  was  confused  and  could  not  properly  handle 
his  words  for  a  moment.  It  made  him  angry  to  think 
a  teacher,  a  "country  jay"  at  that,  would  dare  to  come 
up  before  him  and  question  his  conduct. 

"No  sir,"  he  replied,  "I  have  no  knowledge  of  your 
offending  me.  I  scarcely  know  you  well  enough  or  in- 
timately enough  for  that.  I  simply  didn't  agree  with 
what  you  said  and  told  you  so.  That  is  all  there  is  to 
it.  As  to  the  other  matters  you  speak  of,  you  are 
entirely  too  sensitive.  You  will  get  over  it  as  you 
grow  older."  With  that,  he  turned  and  walked  away. 


SILAS  COBB  25 

Silas  Cobb  hud  at  last  gotten  his  whole-souled  con- 
fidence iu  always  being  able  to  make  matters  clear  as 
day,  somewhat  shattered.  He  stood  there  for  a  few 
minutes,  insulted  and  humiliated,  and  then  went  home. 
He  never  spoke  of  it  to  a  living  soul.  Some  would 
have  heralded  the  insult  abroad  and  planned  a  bitter 
win-  against  the  Superintendent.  If  Silas  Cobb  had 
simply  repeated  the  facts  to  old  Henry  Boggs,  there 
would  have  been  one  of  the  livliest  word  wars  ever  read 
about  the  next  time  the  old  fellow  happened  to 
meet  the  Professor.  Not  only  that,  but  Henry  would 
talk  it  to  the  neighbors,  and  in  a  week  there  would  be 
such  bitter  hatred  for  the  Professor,  he  would  scarcely 
feel  comfortable  passing  through  that  locality.  Mr. 
Cobb  knew  all  this,  too.  He  understood  human  nature 
well  for  one  so  young.  He  was  a  man  far  in  advance 
of  his  twenty  years.  But  his  idea  was  that  such  a 
course  could  do  him  no  good  in  any  manner,  and  he 
would  simply  be  crippling  the  usefulness  of  the  county 
superintendent.  His  idea  was  that  no  one  should  work 
at  cross  purposes  with  the  man  selected  to  lead  them. 
He  felt  outraged,  but  kept  it  to  himself  and  went  on 
with  his  work. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

SILAS  COBB  heard  nothing  moi'e  from  the  Profes- 
sor till  the  next  summer.  The  county  teachers' 
institute  was  to  be  held  at  Cowville,  and  he  was 
notified  and  requested  to  be  present. 

Unfortunately  for  him,  or  the  Professor,  it  is  hard 
to  tell  which,  he  was  in  the  Professor's  class  in  gram- 
mar. The  very  first  recitation  brought  on  a  clash  be- 
tween them.  The  Professor  called  on  Mr.  Cobb  to 
recite,  and  had  apparently  set  a  trap  for  him.  There 
are  many  points  in  grammar  on  which  even  gramma- 
rians differ,  and  it  was  one  of  these  that  Mr.  Cobb  was 
called  upon  to  discuss.  He  was  told  to  sit  down  after 
he  had  finished.  Another  teacher  was  called  and 
answered  according  to  the  Professor's  idea. 

"Correct,"  said  the  Professor.  "Take  note  of  that, 
Mr.  Cobb;  you  need  to  brush  up  on  these  points." 
Mr.  Cobb  arose  to  defend  his  position.  He  was  ig- 
nored and  the  class  work  went  on.  Three  days  after- 
wards Mr.  Cobb  got  up  and  faced  the  Professor  after 
the  fifth  insult  like  the  above,  and  said:  "Sir,  lam 
compelled  to  leave  your  class.  I  will  not  be  insulted 
in  this  manner  daily."  With  that  he  left  the  room. 

Mr.  Cobb  had  long  ago  concluded  that  it  was  simply 
a  natural  antipathy  the  Professor  felt  for  him,  as  he 
could  find  no  motive  for  it.  What  could  the  Professor 
have  against  him,  a  poor  country  boy,  while  he  was  a 
man  high  in  educational  circles  of  the  state?  There 
was  no  other  way  to  explain  it,  so  he  kept  out  of  his 
presence  as  much  as  possible. 

At  the  close  of  the  institute  an  examination  was  held 
for  teachers'  certificates.  It  was  a  custom  to  renew 


SILAS  COBB  27 

the  certificates  of  successful  teachers,  but  Silas  Cobb 
did  not  ask  for  a  renewal  of  his.  He  did  not  care  to 
ask  for  any  favor,  so  he  wrote  the  examination  from 
beginning  to  end,  paid  his  fee  and  went  home. 

In  the  course  of  two  weeks  the  certificates  and  notices 
of  failure  were  sent  out.  Silas  Cobb  received,  to  his 
great  amazement,  a  notice  of  failure  to  pass  the  exam- 
ination. This  was  something  he  had  never  dreamed 
of,  as  he  felt  sure  he  had  made  very  high  grades  in  all 
the  branches.  He  had  spent  several  terms  on  the  com- 
mon branches  in  a  private  normal  school,  and  under- 
stood them  well.  He  didn't  know  what  to  do  at  first, 
but  finally  decided  to  go  to  see  the  superintendent  on 
Saturday  and  find  out  on  what  points  he  had  failed.  In 
the  meantime  he  would  not  tell  Mr.  Boggs  about  his 
trouble. 

On  Friday  night  Mr.  Boggs  was  propped  up  against 
the  wall  in  the  kitchen,  reading  the  Cowville  Weekly 
which  had  just  been  received.  Presently  he  snorted 
out  in  such  a  fury  that  everybody  in  the  room  was 
startled.  Mrs.  Boggs  dropped  the  skillet,  and  Silas 
bit  the  end  off  his  lead  pencil. 

"Sufferiu'  Moses!  That  blankety -blank  Littlehead 
agin!  Si  Cobb,  ye  set  there  so  peaceful,  like  ye  didn't 
have  a  trouble  in  the  world.  Don't  ye  know  that 
blaukety-blank  Littlefool  has  refused  t'  give  ye  a  cer- 
tif-i-kate?  Jest  what  the  idgit's  got  agin  ye  I  can't 
ever  understand,  but  blame  me  ef  I  don't  eat  him  raw 
ef  he  don't  give  me  satisfaction  on  this  matter.  Jest 
listen  t'  this,  right  here  in  the  Muddy  Crick  News:  'It 
is  rumored  that  Si  Cobb  won't  teach  Muddy  Creek 
school  next  year,  owing  to  a  shortage  of  an  otficial  doc- 
ument called  a  teacher's  certificate.  This  is  straight 
from  headquarters.'  Bleedin' Moses!  Ef  I  c'd  git  the 


28 


SILAS  COBB 


man  that  put  that  lie  in  this  here  paper,  I'd  skin  him 
alive.  How  is  this,  Silas  Cobb?  What  do  ye  know 
'bout  it?" 

"All  I  know,  Mr.  Boggs,    is  that  I  have  received  a 


"Sufferm*  Moses!    That  Uankety-Uank  Littlehead  agin!" 

notice  this  very  day  saying  I  have  failed  to  pass  a  satis- 
factory examination.  I  assure  you  I  am  greatly  sur- 
prised and  grieved  about  it.  There  must  surely  be  a 
mistake.  I  know  I  could  not  have  failed.  I  know 


SILAS  COBB  29 

what  I  know,  and  those  questions  I  did  know,  and  I 
answered  them  correctly.  I  am  positive  that  when  I 
call  on  the  superintendent,  as  I  shall  to-morrow,  it  will 
all  be  explained.  If  I  am  unable  to  get  a  certificate,  I 
don't  know  what  the  others  could  get,  as  I  have  had 
more  schooling  than  three-fourth^  of  those  teaching  in 
the  county.  Everybody  knows  that  who  knows  me. 
It  is  simply  a  mistake.  But  why  should  that  item  be 
in  the  paper?" 

"Yes,  why?"  said  Mr.  Boggs.  "Si  Cobb,  ye  haven't 
fight  enough  in  ye  fer  a  girl.  Why  don't  ye  brace  up 
an'  make  a  row  over  this  outrage?  Blamed  ef  I  own 
ye  ef  ye  don't  go  right  down  there  to-morrow  an'  put  it 
straight  t'  that  chap  from  the  shoulder.  Ask  him,  by 
the  bleedin'  blazes,  what  got  this  item  uv  news  in  the 
paper  here;  then  ask  him  where  yer  certif-i-kate  is  at. 
Jest  say  ye  want  it,  an'  want  it  quick,  too.  Ef  ye  don't 
git  it,  Si,  jest  take  him  by  the  nose  an'  pull  it  hard  fer 
old  Henry  Boggs,  an'  then  give  it  a  twist  fer  yer  own 
sake.  Jest  tell  him  that  old  Henry  Boggs  laid  the 
corner  stone  t'  that  old  court-house  twenty  years  afore 
he  wuz  born,  an'  he  has  enough  lands  an'  money  t'  pros- 
ecute him  t'  kingdom  come  fer  perjurin'  hisself  when 
he  swore  he'd  do  his  duty  t'  the  people." 

"A  friend  like  you,  Mr.  Boggs,"  said  Silas,  "is  only 
met  with  once  in  a  lifetime.  I  wasn't  going  to  tell  you 
about  this  matter  until  I  could  see  if  I  could  get  it  ad- 
justed, as  I  didn't  want  to  worry  you  with  it.  If  I 
should  have  failed,  I  was  coming  to  you  then  for  advice. 
I  know  you  are  always  right  in  your  judgment  of  the 
value  of  the  actions  of  men.  I  know  you  feel  that 
Superintendent  Littleman  has  a  grudge  against  me, 
and  I  have  tried  to  believe  you  mistaken,  even  in  the 
face  of  many  things  you  do  not  know  about;  but  if  I 


30  SILAS  COBB 

am  unable  to  get  a  certificate,  I  shall  be  willing  to 
openly  say  the  Professor  is  unjustly  prejudiced  against 
me." 

Much  more  was  said  about  the   matter,   but  nothing 
transpired  worth  noting  until  the  next  day. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

MR.  BOGGS  and  Silas  drove  down  to  Cowville 
to  see  Superintendent  Littleman.  While 
Silas  went  up  to  see  the  Professor,  Mr. 
Boggs  dropped  in  to  unburden  his  mind  to  Central 
Comraitteeman  John  Smith,  of  the  Times.  He  told  all 
about  the  outrages  on  Silas  Cobb,  leading  up  to  the 
climax  of  the  Professor  refusing  to  give  him  a  certifi- 
cate and  having  the  fact  printed  in  the  Weekly. 

"Let's  see,"  said  Mr.  Smith,  reflectively,  "isn't  that 
the  young  man  you  wanted  us  to  nominate  for  super- 
intendent a  year  or  so  ago?" 

"Thunderin'  Moses!  Ef  I  ain't  the  biggest  fool  in 
all  the  county.  Here  I've  been  wonderin'  fer  the  last 
year  what  that  Littlehead  had  agin  Si  <^obb.  Now  it's 
all  clear  as  day.  That  feller's  tryin'  t'  kill  him  off  so  he 
won't  have  no  one  t'  run  agin  next  year.  Blame  me, 
ef  I  hadn't  fergot  all  about  that;  never  even  told  Si 
about  it,  an'  he's  nigh  puzzled  t'  death  t'  know  what 
that  bleedin'  fool  has  agin  him.  Now  I  mind  we 
talked  'bout  it  fer  a  day  er  two  'round  town  here,  so  uv 
course  the  Littlething  heard  uv  it,  an'  he  has  been  the 
only  man  t'  remember  it.  Sufferin'  Peter!  An'  t' 
think  I,  old  Henry  Boggs,  of  all  men,  would  fergit  t' 
tell  Si  'bout  it." 

"Well,  there  is  no  doubt  of  the  correctness  of  your 
view,  Mr.  Boggs;  you  have  sized  up  the  Professor  to  a 
dot.  He  even  called  in  here  once,  only  a  short  time 
ago,  and  asked  me  who  we  were  going  to  nominate 
against  him,  and  mentioned  Mr.  Cobb  to  me.  Yes, 
you  are  right;  he  is  just  that  short-sighted.  He  has 
probably  gotten  himself  into  an  awkward  place.  From 


32  SILAS  COBB 

what  I  have  seen  and  heard  of  that  young  fellow,   Lit- 
tleman  will  find  more  than  his  match  in  him." 

Just  at  this  point  Mr.  Cobb  came  in  looking  for  Mr. 
Boggs.  Finding  the  two  together,  he  greeted  the  edi- 
tor, Mr.  Smith,  and  excused  himself  for  interrupting 
them  and  was  on  the  point  of  leaving,  when  Boggs 
couldn't  hold  in  any  longer  and  demanded  to  know  the 
result  of  his  trip  to  the  Superintendent's  office.  He 
looked  at  Mr.  Smith  in  a  questioning  manner,  and  Mr. 
Smith  told  him  that  he  and  Mr.  Boggs  had  just  been 
discussing  his  trouble,  and  both  felt  provoked  that  a 
public  officer  should  let  his  prejudice  rule  him  in  such  a 
high-handed  manner. 

"I  called  on  the  Professor,"  said  Mr.  Cobb,  "and 
asked  him  in  what  I  had  failed.  He  gruffly  answered 
'everything.'  'Well,'  I  said,  'I  want  to  see  my  papers; 
I  have  not  failed  in  everything,  and  I  want  to  prove  to 
you  that  I  have  not,  or  I  want  you  to  satisfy  me  that  I 
have.  At  any  rate,  I  want  to  see  my  papers.' 

"  'I  am  sorry,  sir,  but  I  am  too  busy  to-day  to  bother 
with  it.  You  will  have  to  come  some  time  when  I  am 
not  so  busy.' 

"  'Well,'  I  said,  'I  am  busy  also,  and  I  cannot  come 
down  here  again  very  soon,  and  I  can  look  over  my 
papers  without  your  assistance  if  you  will  lay  them  out 
here  on  your  desk;  that  is  all  I  ask;  I  want  to  see  how 
they  are  marked.' 

"  'You  can't  see  them  to-day;  they  are  not  here;  I 
left  them  at  the  house,  and  I  am  not  going  after  them.' 

"  'Well,'  I  persisted,  'give  me  a  note  to  Mrs.  Little- 
man  asking  her  to  show  me  my  papers.  I  will  go  up 
there  myself  and  go  over  them  in  her  presence.' 

"  'I  will  not  do  it,'  he  answered,  point  blank. 

"  'Well,  then,'  I  said,  'I  shall  try  and  do  the  best  I 


SILAS  COBB  33 

can  in  the  matter,  and  I  warn  you  that  I  shall  not  go 
home  to-day  or  to-morrow  or  the  next  day  until  I  have 
settled  the  matter  one  way  or  the  other.  When  I  leave 
you  this  time,  you  and  I  will  understand  each  other 
better  than  we  have  heretofore.' 

"With  that  I  left  his  office  for  advice.  So  here  I 
am,  waiting  to  hear  what  my  friends  will  advise  me  to 
do." 

Mr.  Boggs  was  for  taking  the  place  by  storm  at 
once.  He  was  furious  at  such  an  outrage.  But  Mr. 
Smith  smiled.  He  knew  Littleman  well;  knew  he  was 
a  moral  coward  and  a  man  without  any  idea  of  justice. 

"Wait  a  bit,"  he  said,  "I  will  speak  to  him." 

A  telephone,  a  new  thing  in  that  part  of  the  world, 
had  been  placed  in  the  court-house  for  the  use  of  all  the 
officials,  and  was  the  one  conspicuous  sign  of  progress 
to  be  seen  in  Cowville.  When  Superintendent  Little- 
man got  to  the  phone  in  answer  to  Mr.  Smith's  call, 
Silas  Cobb  and  Mr.  Boggs  heard  something  like  this: 
"Hello!  Professor,  is  that  you?  Say,  can  you  tell  me 
whether  or  not  Silas  Cobb  got  a  certificate? — Silas 
Cobb!— yes!— Oh,  he  didn't?  Well,  what's  the  matter? 
— Failed  in  all? — Well,  don't  you  think  you  made  a 
mistake? — You  don't  know?  I  should  think  you  had, 
and  a  big  one,  too.  Why,  I  know  Silas  Cobb  has  for- 
gotten more  than  half  the  people  you  have  licensed  ever 
knew,  and  so  do  you.  Say  Professor,  I  am  too  busy  to 
bother  about  this  matter — you  will  look  it  up? — Good! 
I  wish  you  would,  Professor.  Look  it  up  at  once,  and 
let  me  know.  I  want  to  know  before  I  go  to  press. 
Say,  Cobb  is  here  now,  he  and  Mr.  Boggs,  and  when 
you  have  found  the  mistake  send  the  certificate  over 
here  so  they  can  get  it  before  they  go  home — eh?  All 
3  right  Professor,  much  obliged.  Good-by." 


34  SILAS  COBB 

Mr.  Smith  sat  down  and  smiled.  "I  rather  think 
your  certificate  will  be  here  within  twenty  minutes, 
Mr.  Cobb,"  he  said.  "I  hope  if  you  are  ever  fortunate 
enough  to  hold  a  public  office,  you  will  conduct  your- 
self in  such  a  manner  that  it  will  never  be  necessary  to 
have  any  one  talk  to  you  as  I  have  just  now  talked  to 
the  Professor.  I  am  inclined  to  think  that  even  now, 
young  as  you  are,  you  would  not  stand  on  any  ground 
you  could  not  defend  against  all  who  might  come.  It 
ought  to  be  a  humiliation  to  be  compelled  to  do  what 
it  is  his  duty  to  do,  but  I  doubt  if  he  thinks  of  it  in 
that  light.  It  is  very  probable  he  will  look  at  it  simply 
as  a  little  trick  he  wasn't  able  to  turn;  nothing  more 
nor  less." 

Within  the  time  set,  the  certificate,  properly  made 
out  and  signed,  was  delivei'ed  at  the  Times  office  by  a 
boy,  and  word  sent  by  the  Professor  that  a  mistake 
had  been  made  in  confusing  Mr.  Cobb's  name  with 
that  of  a  girl  named  Cobbson,  and  he  had  just  found 
the  error.  He  hoped  Mr.  Cobb  would  overlook  the 
matter,  mistakes  would  occur,  etc. 

Up  to  this  time  Silas  Cobb  knew  nothing  of  the 
motive  that  guided  the  Professor  in  all  his  petty 
actions  in  relation  to  himself;  but  that  night  when  old 
Mr.  Boggs  unburdened  his  mind  of  all  he  remembered 
of  the  incident  when  he  had  proposed  Silas'  name  for 
county  superintendent,  he  was  perfectly  satisfied  that 
the  Professor  had  made  a  foolish  attempt  to  sacrifice 
him.  This  was  a  clear  case  of  creating  a  candidate  for 
office  where  none  really  existed,  by  simply  trying  to 
kill  off  an  imaginary  one.  Old  Henry  Boggs  had  for- 
gotten the  incident  entirely,  and  never  would  have 
recalled  it  again,  and  Silas  Cobb  not  only  never  heard 
it,  but  would  not  have  thought  of  aspiring  to  the 


SILAS  COBB  35 

office.  The  Professor  simply  forced  the  idea  upon  them, 
and  they  were  not  long  in  developing  quite  an  ambi- 
tion along  that  line.  But  after  much  ambitious  talk 
it  was  considered  out  of  the  range  of  possibilities.  He 
was  only  twenty  years  old  and  had  never  taught 
school  outside  of  the  country  district  of  No.  8,  and 
the  idea  of  electing  him  would  be  laughed  at,  so  Silas 
declared  and  after  much  protest,  the  old  man  agreed 
to  it,  and  the  subject  was  wiped  off  their  political 
slate. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

EVERYTHING  moved  on  as  usual  in  educational 
lines,  nothing  being  done  except  to  plod  along 
as  the  work  had  plodded  for  twenty  years.  No 
new  or  advanced  steps  were  taken  to  keep  the  county 
up  with  the  educational  progress  going  on  in  the  out- 
side world. 

The  Professor  went  up  to  Springfield  each  winter 
to  attend  the  state  teachers'  association.  There  he 
heard  all  the  up-to-date  ideas  discussed,  and  would 
often  combat  them.  He  would  sit  around  as  useless  as 
a  wart  on  a  log,  and  never  seemed  in  favor  of  any- 
thing that  wasn't  established  before  he  was  born. 
Nothing  new  seemed  to  get  nourishment  in  his  mind. 
That  winter  Silas  Cobb  went  to  the  state  association 
for  the  first  time.  It  was  a  great  revelation  to  him. 
He  knew  no  one  there,  but  he  went  from  section  to 
section,  listening  to  papers  read  and  to  the  discus- 
sions. 

By  accident  he  came  into  the  county  superintendent's 
section.  He  saw  his  mistake  and  was  about  to  leave 
when  his  attention  was  directed  to  the  speaker,  a  tall, 
smooth-faced  young  man,  who  he  afterwards  learned 
was  a  neighboring  superintendent.  The  speaker  was 
talking  on  the  subject  of  "Course  of  Study  and  Classi- 
fication of  the  Country  Schools."  He  became  so  inter- 
ested in  what  was  being  said,  he  sat  down  and  listened 
carefully  to  the  end.  He  had  never  heard  of  anything 
more  sensible  or  practical,  and  he  was  just  wondering 
why  it  was  that  Brush  county  had  not  taken  steps  in 
that  line,  when  the  Professor  arose  from  his  seat  ani 
made  a  rambling  harangue  against  the  whole  idea.  It 


SILAS  COBB  37 

was  absurd  to  attempt  grading  the  country  schools. 
He  was  surprised  that  his  worthy  colleague  should 
waste  his  time  on  such  useless  work.  "You  could 
never  get  a  course  of  study  to  work  satisfactorily 
under  such  conditions." 

"Did  you  ever  try  it?"  called  out  Superintendent 
Smith,  who  made  the  former  speech. 

"Well,  no;"  replied  Mr.  Littleman,  "but  I  am  sure 
it  would  not  work." 

"Well,  it  does  work,"  replied  Mr.  Smith.  "We 
have  our  schools,  every  one  of  them,  following  a 
course  of  study,  and  have  been  for  two  years.  We 
know  by  experience  what  can  be  done,  and  all  I  have 
said  is  based  on  actual  work.  It  has  always  seemed 
rather  singular  to  me  that  those  who  have  never  tried 
to  do  anything  are  the  first  to  come  here  and  throw 
the  weight  of  their  ignorance  against  those  who  have 
tried  to  take  a  step  forward." 

It  was  very  apparent  that  a  lively  debate  would  be 
precipitated  on  account  of  Mr.  Smith's  vigorous  words 
of  reproof  to  the  non-progressive  men  of  the  conven- 
tion. There  were  others  there  like  the  Professor,  who 
took  the  paths  their  fathers  had  beaten  out,  and  were 
ready  to  denounce  as  faddists  those  who  attempted  to 
improve  the  road. 

Superintendent  Blockhead,  from  Kickapoo  county, 
quickly  took  the  floor  and  declared:  "There  are 
others  here  besides  Superintendent  Littleman  who  do 
not  chase  after  every  will-o'-the-wisp  that  appears  on  the 
scene;  men  who  have  some  stability  of  purpose  and  do 
not  despise  the  methods  of  their  fathers  because  they 
happen  to  be  old.  There  are  too  many  fads  and  fad- 
dists in  this  state  for  the  state's  good.  We  ought  to 
think  before  we  act.  Superintendent  Smith  is  a  little 


38  SILAS  COBB 

young  yet,  but  when  he  has  served  his  people  as  long 
as  I  have  he  will  not  be  so  ready  to  denounce  old  things. 
He  will  know  more  and  say  less  about  the  weight  of 
ignorance  being  against  progress." 

Superintendent  Smith  was  on  his  feet  in  an  instant. 
He  knew  a  great  many  things  about  Superintendent 
Blockhead's  methods,  and  since  the  matter  had  become 
so  personal  he  meant  to  use  them.  He  was  ready  for 
anything. 

"I  did  not  mean  to  make  personal  remarks  in  this 
debate.  I  simply  used  the  word  ignorance  in  the  sense 
of  not  being  experienced  in  a  certain  subject — the  one 
under  discussion.  You  gentlemen  have  declared  grada- 
tion of  country  schools  impossible.  I  ask,  'Have 
you  tried  it?'  You  answer  'No.'  I  then  declare  I 
have  tried  it  for  two  years  with  splendid  results.  I 
know  what  I  am  talking  about  on  this  subject.  You 
admit  you  don't.  I  say  you  throw  the  weight  of  your 
ignorance  against  progress.  You  tell  me  I  am  young; 
I  haven't  served  my  county  long  enough  to  know  as 
much  as  you  do.  I  admit  it,  but  I  have  learned  in  the 
few  years  I  have  served  my  people  that  classification 
and  gradation  is  a  fact,  not  a  theory  only.  You  have 
sei-ved  your  people,  Superintendent  Blockhead,  sixteen 
years,  and  you  have  made  no  test  of  these  matters,  but 
you  come  here  and  use  your  long  years  of  experience  as 
a  block  to  check  the  progress  of  others.  To  my  per- 
sonal knowledge  your  principal  occupation  during  all 
these  years  has  been  to  hold  examinations  and  visit  the 
schools  once  a  year;  that  is  all  you  have  believed  in. 
It  may  have  been  because  it  was  the  easiest  way  to  fill 
the  place  you  were  elected  to  four  times  in  succession. 
You  hold  one  teachers'  meeting  annually,  when  you 
ought  to  hold  one  a  month;  you  spend  more  time  each 


SFLAS  COBB  39 

month  visiting  with  farmers  and  politicians  than  you 
do  attending  to  school  matters.  I  say  this  for  the  bene- 
fit of  the  new  superintendents  present,  who  might,  on 
account  of  your  long  experience,  be  led  to  believe  that 
what  you  say  is  true.  I  want  them  to  know  that  I  live 
across  the  county  line  from  you,  and  that  I  know  you 
to  be  a  man  who  loves  his  ease;  who  wouldn't  under- 


" Superintendent  Smith  was  on  his  feet  in  an  instant." 
take  anything  that  calls  for  an  extra  effort.  You  place 
your  portly  frame  and  air  of  experience  in  the  road  of 
progress  in  order  to  keep  your  neighbors  from  advanc- 
ing. It  might  be  proof  that  you  were  out  of  date.  I 
want  the  superintendents  present  to  know  that  your  ideas 
and  mine  are  as  wide  apart  as  are  the  cardinal  points, 
and  that  while  you  have  a  crude  notion  that  classifica- 


40  SILAS  COBB 

tion  and  gradation  are  impossible,  I  have  a  full-fledged 
example  of  its  possibility  in  operation  in  my  county. 
Now,  Mr.  Blockhead,  I  have  finished,  and  I  ask  your 
pardon  if  my  necessarily  plain  language  has  offended 
you." 

He  sat  down,  and  not  a  man  said  a  word.  Superin- 
tendent Blockhead  had  received  a  mortal  blow.  He  was 
the  greatest  fake  in  the  state;  did  less  and  got  credit  for 
more  than  any  of  his  unworthy  competitors  in  that  line. 
He  didn't  want  his  history  aired  any  further,  so  he  kept 
still.  He  knew  Mr.  Smith  quite  well  and  was  afraid  of 
him.  He  might  possibly  be  led  in  another  speech  to 
tell  about  the  teachers  he  licensed  and  how  they 
swarmed  over  the  line  into  Smith's  county  like  the  tra- 
ditional locust,  with  their  ignorance  and  inexperience, 
driving  experienced  and  competent  teachers  before  them 
from  the  field. 

Silas  Cobb  sat  there  taking  in  this  discussion  with 
the  keenest  interest.  When  the  meeting  adjourned  he 
went  up  to  Superintendent  Smith  and  introduced  him- 
self; asked  about  his  course  of  study  and  work  in  gen- 
eral, learned  all  he  could  about  grading  schools  and  got 
a  copy  of  his  course  of  study.  When  he  went  home 
he  began  to  organize  his  school  to  fit  into  the  regular 
prescribed  work  of  the  course,  and  before  the  winter 
was  over  he  wrote  Superintendent  Smith,  thanking  him 
for  the  assistance  he  had  given  him,  and  telling  him  of  his 
success  in  thoroughly  organizing  his  school  according 
to  the  course. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

THE  year  for  electing  county  officers  was  half  spent 
before  much  had  been  said  about  the  matter. 
Silas  Cobb  had  put  the  whole  subject  out  of  his 
mind,  and  had  never  even  considered  it  possible  to  ever 
reach  the  office  of  county  superintendent.  Old  Henry 
Boggs  had  also  given  up  the  idea,  but  with  reluctance. 

Along  in  July,  Mr.  Boggs  received  a  notice  from 
Central  Committeeman  Smith,  editor  of  the  Times, 
requesting  his  presence  at  a  meeting  of  the  county  com- 
mittee, of  which  Mr.  Boggs  was  a  member. 

Mr.  Boggs  drove  into  Cowville  on  the  appointed  day, 
and  met  a  dozen  other  Democrats,  who  had  congre- 
gated for  the  same  purpose.  After  fixing  the  dates  for 
the  county  convention  and  primaries,  they  mapped  out 
the  most  favorable  course  for  the  convention,  even 
selecting  the  most  desirable  men  to  be  presented  for 
nomination.  When  they  got  down  to  the  "tail  end"  of 
the  ticket,  the  office  of  superintendent  was  taken  up. 
No  one  had  a  candidate  for  the  place,  nor  one  to  recom- 
mend. 

All  agreed  that  Professor  Littleman  should  be 
opposed  by  Borne  one,  but  who? — that  was  the  burning 
question. 

At  this  point  everybody  present  received  a  shock  by 
old  man  Boggs  snorting  out: 

"Bleedin',  sufferin'  Moses!  ef  I  didn't  jest  about  fer- 
git  Si  Cobb  agin.  Why,  Silas  Cobb's  jest  the  man.  I 
told  ye  'bout  him  four  years  ago.  Ye  mind  he  wuz 
too  young.  Blame  me,  ef  I  don't  believe  I'm  losin'  uv 
my  mind.  That  boy  is  jest  now  twenty-three  years  old, 
an'  he's  the  most  sensible  chap  ye  ever  seed.  I  tell  ye 


42  SILAS  COBB 

no  man  can  beat  him  makin'  friends.  He'll  git  all  the 
votes  in  Muddy  Crick  township  but  two.  He's  the 
best  teacher  we  ever  had,  an'  I  recommend  him  t'  yer 
consideration.  Old  Henry  Boggs  ain't  a-speakin'  fer 
them  that's  not  right,  gentlemen,  an'  ef  ye  ever  have 
any  complaint  agin  Si  Cobb,  I'll  answer  fer  him  my- 
self." 

There  was  nothing  for  the  committee  to  do  but  to 
either  favor  Mr.  Cobb's  nomination  or  leave  the  place 
vacant  on  the  ticket.  There  was  not  another  democratic 
teacher  in  the  county  available.  But  aside  from  the 
fact  that  there  was  no  one  to  nominate,  there  were 
many  who  thought  Mr.  Cobb  would  make  a  good  offi- 
cer, and  there  were  others  who  did  not  know  him,  but 
who  believed  in  the  judgment  of  old  Henry  Boggs.  How- 
ever, nothing  further  could  be  done  until  the  conven- 
tion met. 

That  evening  old  Mr.  Boggs  drove  home  with  a  light 
heart.  Next  to  Mrs.  Boggs,  he  loved  Silas  Cobb  the 
best  of  anything  on  earth,  even  better  than  his  big,  fat 
horses,  and  that  was  saying  a  great  deal. 

When  he  came  in  sight  down  the  road,  Silas  was  sit- 
ting on  the  front  porch  reading  the  last  issue  of  the 
Times.  The  old  man's  face  and  form  showed  through 
the  clouds  of  white  dust,  stirred  up  by  his  elephant- 
like  horses,  not  unlike  an  Australian  bushman.  Sit- 
ting in  the  middle  of  the  seat,  straight  as  an  arrow, 
hairy  as  an  ape,  with  both  arms  outstretched,  pulling 
on  the  lines  as  though  he  were  making  a  "2:40  gait," 
he  came  on,  the  outfit  producing  an  effect  much  like 
that  of  a  big  snow  plow  or  road  grader. 

Silas  knew  something  very  pleasing  had  happened  to 
the  old  gentleman,  or  else  he  had  done  something  of 
importance  in  some  form  or  other.  It  aroused  his 


SILAS  COBB 


43 


curiosity  to  such  an  extent  that  he  got  up  and  went 
down  to  open  the  big  gate  and  club  away  the  old  razor- 
back  sows  and  pigs  so  Mr.  Boggs  could  get  into  the 
barn-yard.  He  came  on,  and  thundered  through  the 
gate  with  a  clatter  and  a  bang,  storming  at  the  razor- 
backs  from  one  side  to  the  other  as  he  went  in.  He 


"That  evening  old  Mr.  Boggs  drove  home  with  a  light  heart." 

pulled  up  inside  with  a  "Whoa!"  "Ain't  them  pretty 
horses,  though,  Si?  I  tell  ye  there's  no  better  team 
on  the  hull  crick  than  them.  But  who  keers  fer 
horses?  Si,  I've  got  somethin'  so  good  t'  tell  ye,  that 
ye'll  jest  about  have  fits  when  I  do  blurt  it  out  once. 
Do  ye  know  what  old  Boggs  has  did,  young  man? 


44  SILAS  COBB 

He's  jest  about  as  good  as  got  ye  nominated  fer  super- 
intendent." 

"You  surely  can't  mean  it,  can  you,  Mr.  Boggs?" 
replied  Silas,  his  face  full  of  excitement. 

"Plagued  ef  I  don't,  even  ef  I  did  jest  come  the 
nighest  in  the  world  uv  fergittin'  ye,  Silas.  Well  sir, 
Si,  ye  jest  ought  t'  have  seed  the  old  man  pawin'  the  air 
makin'  his  speech.  I  come  so  dad  burned  near  fer- 
gittin' about  ever  havin'  mentioned  ye  afore,  that  my 
language  mought  not  have  been  so  fluent  as  it  would  a 
been  ef  I  had  had  time  t'  prepare  my  speech.  Ye  see, 
it  come  t'  me  like  this:  We  couldn't  think  of  anyone 
to  put  agin  the  Professor,  an'  some  'lowed  it  would  be 
mighty  bad  fer  that  cuss  not  t'  have  an  erponent,  an' 
jest  then  I  thought  uv  how  he  thought  he  had  an 
erponent  in  ye,  Si.  Well,  Si,  I  jest  jumped  up,  an' 
bein'  big,  and  havin'  a  big  mouth,  an'  being  kinder 
black-lookin'  in  these  whiskers,  I  guess  I  took  them 
delegates  by  storm.  No  use  fer  me  t'  try  to  tell  ye  uv 
my  speech,  Silas,  but  suffer  it  t'  say,  I  got  all  them 
Democrats  t'  agree  that  ye  wuz  the  right  man  fer  the 
place,  an'  I  believe  ye'll  git  the  nomination  by  accli- 
mazation.  Bleedin'  Moses!  but  I  did  storm  at  'em  in 
that  speech!  Smith  after'ard  told  me  I  did  mighty 
well  presentin'  yer  case." 

Silas  walked  up  and  took  the  old  man  by  the  hand, 
and  though  Mr.  Boggs  stood  six  feet  tall,  and  had  a 
big,  brawny  hand,  Silas  stood  within  an  inch  of  his 
height,  and  when  his  strong,  muscular  hand  closed 
down  on  the  old  man's  with  a  hearty  grip  of  grati- 
tude, the  old  fellow  winced  a  little. 

"Mr.  Boggs,"  said  Silas,  "you  have  my  gratitude 
forever.  No  matter  what  comes  to  me  in  the  future,  I 
shall  always  remember  you  as  a  father  to  me.  You 


SILAS  COBB 


45 


seem   never   to   cease   thinking  of  ray  interest,  and  I 
shall  always  remember  your  kindness." 

After  the  excitement  of  the  day,  this  was  too  much 
for  the  old  gentleman.  When  he  felt  this  big,  hearty 
boy  grasp  his  hand,  and  heard  his  words  of  praise,  a 
few  tears  trickled  down  his  wrinkled  cheeks,  for  which 


" But  I  did  storm  at  'em  in  that  speech." 

he  was  ashamed,  and  in  order  to  hide  his  embarrass- 
ment, he  heaved  a  piece  of  board  at  a  razor-back,  and 
stormed  into  a  flock  of  chickens  that  had  invaded  the 
corn  crib  near  by,  much  to  their  confusion,  scattering 
them  cackling  in  every  direction. 


CHAPTER  X. 

A  FEW  weeks  later  the  primaries  were  held,  and 
Muddy  Creek  township  selected  an  enthusiastic 
delegation,  instructed  to  do  all  in  their  power 
to  secure  the  nomination  of  Silas  Cobb.  Up  to  the 
day  Mr.  Boggs  came  home  with  the  good  news  that 
such  a  thing  as  his  nomination  was  possible,  he  had 
never  thought  of  himself  in  that  light.  In  all  his 
twenty-two  years  of  life  he  had  never  pictured  himself 
in  the  capacity  of  county  superintendent.  Many  times 
he  had  elected  himself  to  congress,  to  be  governor, 
and  even  once  or  twice  he  reached  the  presidency  of 
the  republic.  Had  it  been  any  of  these  positions  he 
was  being  considered  for,  there  would  have  been  little 
new  thought  for  him,  as  he  had  gone  through  all  these 
details  so  far  as  his  limited  view  reached,  and  he  would 
have  at  once  known  what  to  do  or  say. 

But  this,  of  all  positions  to  which  he  might  justly 
have  aspired,  he  had  sadly  neglected  to  think  about  or 
study  at  all.  From  the  day  Mr.  Boggs  brought  the 
news  home,  he  had  given  himself  up  to  a  full  consider- 
ation of  the  subject  from  all  sides.  When  the  conven- 
tion met  he  had  some  idea  of  a  superintendent's  duties. 

It  happened,  by  accident,  that  both  the  Democratic 
and  Republican  conventions  met  at  Cowville  on  the 
same  day.  Mr.  Cobb  and  old  man  Boggs  went  down 
with  the  Muddy  Creek  delegation.  On  the  way  they 
were  joined  by  another  delegation  from  a  neighboring 
township.  These  men  were  at  once  informed  of  Mr. 
Cobb's  candidacy,  and  readily  agreed  to  support  him. 
It  was  apparent  from  the  start  that  Muddy  Creek's  can- 
didate would  be  selected  by  the  convention.  There 


SILAS  COBB  47 

were  too  many  democratic  votes  up  there  to  be  over- 
looked. 

As  usual,  all  the  candidates  for  the  other  offices  were 
selected  first,  and,  there  being  no  interest  then  in  the 
different  delegations,  the  candidates  gave  their  support 
to  Mr.  Cobb  in  order  to  satisfy  his  "stronghold." 

Cobb  was  nominated  and  called  out  for  a  speech.  He 
was  young  and  green,  and  having  never  appeared  be- 
fore an  audience  outside  of  the  evening  literary  society 
and  spelling  schools  held  in  his  district,  he  was  greatly 
confused  and  in  doubt  as  to  what  he  should  say.  To 
make  matters  worse,  he  saw  Professor  Littleman  in  the 
audience,  grinning  and  smirking  at  him  in  a  conde- 
scending manner.  He  had  heard  the  Professor  talk  in 
a  say-nothing  manner  many  times,  but  he,  at  least, 
could  talk  without  embarrassment,  and  such  an  accom- 
plishment, at  such  a  moment,  seemed  to  Silas  to  mean 
success  in  his  coming  canvass.  His  speech  to  the  con- 
vention was  a  nightmare,  not  only  to  himself,  but  to 
the  convention  also.  He  stumbled,  stammered,  blushed 
and  trembled  for  the  space  of  probably  a  half  minute, 
on  the  judge's  stand,  and  then  left  it,  humiliated  to  the 
dust.  The  convention  was  made  up  of  good-hearted 
men,  and  they  seemed  to  understand  instinctively  that 
he  was  a  good  fellow,  and  he  looked  intelligent,  so  they 
applauded  his  poor,  embarrassed  speech  as  much  as  that 
of  any  other  candidate. 

Professor  Littleman,  who  had  been  nominated  by  the 
Republicans,  turned  to  his  friend  who  had  come  in 
from  the  Republican  convention,  and  said  with  a  sneer: 
"Pretty  thing  for  a  man  of  my  long  experience  and 
education  to  be  pitted  against,  isn't  it?  The  very  idea 
is  absurd.  They  surely  don't  expect  to  elect  such  a 
green  fellow  as  that.  They  have  just  put  him  up  to 


48  SILAS  COBB 

defeat  him.  I  dare  say  half  these  men  here  fully  ex- 
pect to  vote  for  me,  and  just  put  this  hoy  up  in  order 
to  make  my  election  sure.  The  boy  will  be  wiser  in  a 
month  or  so."  His  friend  assured  him  that  there  was 
no  doubt  of  his  statements  being  absolutely  correct. 

They  left  the  court-house  togethei',  and  went  down 
in  front  where  a  party  of  Republicans  were  chatting 
over  the  possibilities  of  the  election,  while  they  were 
waiting  for  news  from  their  Democratic  brothers  up- 
stairs. Professor  Littleman  and  his  friend  were  greeted 
warmly  by  them,  and  many  jokes  were  sprung  on  the 
young  man  who  had  just  made  an  ass  of  himself  up- 
stairs. The  Professor  said:  "Gentlemen,  you  missed 
half  your  life  in  not  hearing  Si  Cobb's  speech  accepting 
the  nomination.  It  was  full  of  wit,  wisdom  and  ora- 
tory. It  beats  anything  ever  heard  in  Brush  county 
court-house.  It  was  simply  a  literary  masterpiece. 
Come  to  think  of  it,  though,  I  am  very  glad  you  didn't  hear 
it,  for  if  you  had,  it  would  surely  have  won  some  of  you 
over  to  his  side."  Some  of  the  party  had  heard  Cobb's 
effort,  and  had  just  finished  telling  of  his  humiliation, 
when  the  Professor  appeared  on  the  scene  and  made 
his  satirical  speech.  The  crowd  greeted  his  sally  with 
loud  laughter,  and  many  idiotic  remarks  were  made  at 
the  expense  of  Si  Cobb. 

In  a  few  minutes  the  crowd  came  pouring  down  the 
old,  rickety  stairs  from  the  court-room,  and  began  to 
disperse.  Along  with  the  last  of  the  delegates  came 
Mr.  Cobb.  He  had  a  good,  honest  look  in  his  face. 
He  came  straight  up  to  the  Professor  as  soon  as  he  saw 
him  and  greeted  him  very  cordially.  "How  do  you 
do,  Professor?  I  am  very  glad  to  meet  you,  and  con- 
gratulate you  on  your  renomination.  While  I  cannot 
wish  you  success  in  your  coming  canvass,  on  account  of 


SILAS  COBB  49 

my  personal  interest  in  it,  yet  I  hope  we  shall  have  a 
friendly  contest,  and  whoever  wins,  will  do  so  as  a 
gentleman." 

This  greeting  was  so  open  and  friendly,  that  the 
manner  of  it,  more  than  the  words,  had  a  very  pleasing 
effect  on  all  those  present. 

The  Professor  looked  both  pleased  and  ashamed. 
He  saw  before  him  a  face  young  and  full  of  frankness, 
and  free  from  all  shams  and  intrigue.  The  crowd  that 
looked  on  also  felt  abashed  and  just  a  little  ashamed  of 
the  tone  and  manner  they  and  the  Professor  had 
employed  against  Mr.  Cobb.  They  did  not  expect  him 
to  come  in  among  them  to  congratulate  his  opponent. 
That  was  unlocked  for  even  by  the  Professor,  so  he 
stood  there  scarcely  knowing  how  to  answer  the  young 
man.  Mr.  Cobb  was  looking  steadily  up  in  his  face, 
which  made  it  harder  still  for  him  to  answer  him. 

Finally  the  Professor  managed  to  answer  him  in  a 
sort  of  a  sheepish  manner,  and  as  an  excuse  to  get 
away,  said:  "Excuse  me,  please,  there's  Mr.  Brown, 
whom  I  wish  to  see  before  he  leaves  town,"  and  with 
that  he  hurried  off.  Mr.  Cobb  then  greeted  the  men  he 
knew  and  was  introduced  to  others,  and  before  he  knew 
it  he  was  holding  quite  an  informal  reception  on  the 
court-house  steps. 

Later,  as  he  was  leaving,  one  man  remarked  to  a 
party  of  friends:  "He  may  not  be  able  to  make  a 
speech  on  the  judge's  stand  before  a  convention,  but  I 
tell  you  one  thing  he  can  do.  He  can  take  you  by  the  hand 
and  look  you  straight  in  the  eye,  and  somehow  or  other 
you  believe  in  him.  He  has  more  common  sense  and 
good  manners  in  a  minute  than  that  one-horse,  vulgar 
Professor,  who  has  been  publicly  insulting  him,  ever 
4  read  about.  For  my  part  I  shall  vote  for  Silas  Cobb, 


50  SILAS  COBB 

though  I  sat  as  a  delegate  in  the  Republican  conven- 
tion that  nominated  the  Professor.  I  take  it  that  a 
school  superintendent  ought  to  be  an  example  of  good 
manners  and  honesty.  The  Professor  showed  us  here 
that  he  had  neither  good  manners  nor  an  honest  heart." 

Several  nodded  assent  to  this,  but  political  lines  were 
drawn  too  closely  for  the  timid  to  express  themselves, 
so  nothing  further  was  said,  and  the  day  closed  with 
Silas  Cobb  and  Professor  Littleman  pitted  against  each 
other  in  a  political  race  for  the  office  of  county  super- 
intendent of  schools. 

That  night,  as  Silas  Cobb  and  old  Henry  Boggs 
drove  home  together,  they  discussed  the  events  of  the 
day.  While  Mr.  Cobb  was  feeling  contented  with  the 
results  as  a  whole,  he  felt  rather  blue  over  his  failure  to 
make  an  intelligent  speech. 

"Shucks,  Si!  What's  a  speech!  Now,  there's  old 
Gibson  uv  our  deestrict,  who  makes  the  biggest  speech 
at  our  annual  meetin',  an'  he's  alus  spoutin'  at  the  lit- 
erary and  spellin'  schools.  He's  alus  presidin'  an' 
speechify  in'  at  the  Fourth  uv  July  celebration,  funerals 
and  prayer  meetin's.  But  who  keers  fer  old  Gibson? 
Everybody  says  he's  windy  and  don't  count  fer  much 
nohow.  Now  look  at  Sam  Street.  He  can't  make  a 
speech  afore  the  deestrict  meetin'  t'  save  his  life,  but 
he's  so  all-powerful  in  his  influence  that  he  jest  about 
runs  the  deestrict.  I  tell  ye,  Si,  it's  not  all  in  speech- 
makin'.  Ye  teach  the  best  school  uv  any  man  in  this 
here  county,  t'  my  notions,  an'  I  wouldn't  keer  ef  ye 
couldn't  say  'Jack  Robinson'  in  a  public  meetin'.  It 
wus  only  'cause  ye  wuz  rattled,  Si.  I've  hearu  ye  make 
as  fine  speeches  at  our  literary  as  any  man  ever  made, 
an'  I'm  sure  ye'll  be  all  right  on  that  when  ye  git 
cooled  off." 


SILAS  COBB  51 

Good-hearted  Mr.  Boggs  ran  on  like  this,  trying  to 
make  Silas  feel  better  over  his  failure,  until  they  drove 
up  in  the  barnyard  and  were  greeted  with  a  dozen 
questions  in  a  string  by  Mrs.  Boggs,  wanting  to  know  if 
Mr.  Si  was  nominated. 

"Hold  on,  mother,"  said  Mr.Boggs,  as  Mrs.  Boggs 
ran  on,  "now  jest  wait  till  I  tell  ye  Si  wuz  nominated. 
When  Sam  Street  an'  me  told  them  town  fellers  that 
this  township  demanded  a  representin'  on  the  ticket, 
they  jest  put  on  Mr.  Silas  Cobb  without  any  more 
kickin'.  They  know  no  ticket  can  pull  through  with- 
out the  full  vote  uv  Muddy  Crick  township,  so  ye  see, 
me  an'  Sam  can  git  'bout  what  we  ask  fer." 

"I  am  glad  you  feel  so  good  over  my  success, 
Mrs.  Boggs,"  said  Silas.  "I  owe  it  all  to  your  good 
old  husband,  who  has  a  heart  so  big  and  honest  that  he 
has  completely  swallowed  me  up  in  it.  I  could  not 
have  done  a  thing  there  without  him.  He  has  just 
taken  me  under  his  wing,  and  fought  his  way  along 
with  me.  I  am  even  a  dead  load  to  him,  because, 
instead  of  helping,  I  made  a  miserable,  pitiable  effort 
to  make  a  speech  to-day,  thanking  the  convention,  and 
instead  of  doing  us  both  credit,  I  made  the  audience 
feel  ashamed  of  me.  I  don't  know  whether  I  shall  ever 
live  it  down  or  not.  They  will  surely  think  me  unfit 
for  the  office,  and  I  even  fear,  myself,  I  am  not  over 
fit  for  it." 


CHAPTER  XI. 

MOST  people  admit  that  it  does  not  pay  to  abuse 
your  opponent  in  a  political  canvass,  but  few 
practice  it.  It  is  so  easy  to  drift  into  criticism 
that  only  a  few  men  resist  the  temptation.  In  that  part  of 
Illinois  it  was  customary  to  hold  early  conventions  and 
make  a  long  canvass.  The  candidates  usually  aimed  to 
call  on  most  of  the  voters  in  the  county.  Professor 
Littleman  and  Silas  Cobb  were  not  exceptions  to  this 
rule.  They  started  out  soon  after  the  conventions 
nominated  them.  Their  methods  of  canvassing  were 
as  different  as  the  two  men.  They  could  not  do  other 
than  they  did.  Each  followed  his  own  bent.  The 
Professor  knew  everybody,  and  he  greeted  them  with  a 
"Hello,  John,"  "How  are  you,  Jim?  Glad  to  see  you. 
How's  the  corn  turning  out?  'Bout  done  husking? 
Seen  the  kid  yet — Si  Cobb — my  opponent?  No?  Say, 
isn't  that  a  great  note,  putting  up  that  boy  against  me? 
Why  didn't  they  nominate  a  man  with  some  education, 
if  they  must  nominate  any  one?  The  idea  of  putting 
up  that  green,  ignorant  boy  is  absurd.  He  can  scarcely 
get  a  certificate,  and  between  you  and  me — don't  want 
you  to  mention  it — he  had  quite  a  little  trouble  to  get 
through  at  all  this  year.  I  had  to  consider  the  matter 
a  second  time,  and  strain  a  point  to  let  him  in.  In 
fact,  I  wouldn't  have  let  him  pass  at  all,  but  I  knew  he 
was  to  be  my  opponent,  and  people  might  say  I  was 
prejudiced  against  him." 

That  was  the  Professor's  style  of  canvass.  He 
changed  it  now  and  then  to  break  the  monotony,  but 
he  always  expressed  the  same  thing.  That  was  his 


SILAS  COBB  53 

nature.     He  couldn't  act    otherwise,    and    be  true  to 
himself. 

Silas  Cobb  followed  his  inclinations.  He  had  never 
made  a  canvass.  He  knew  nothing  about  it.  He  fol- 
lowed the  Professor,  and  greeted  the  people  like  this: 
"How  do  you  do,  sir?  I  believe  you  are  Mr.  Brown? 
My  name  is  Silas  Cobb.  I  am  the  democratic  nomi- 
nee for  county  superintendent.  I  am  going  over  the 
county,  making  the  acquaintance  of  the  people,  and 
giving  them  a  chance  to  see  me,  so  they  will  be  better 
able  to  pass  judgment  on  me  at  the  polls.  As  a  rule, 
we  form  a  fair  idea  of  men  by  meeting  and  conversing 
with  them.  My  opponent  is  a  man  of  much  experi- 
ence. I  have  very  little,  and  I  am  sure,  if  I  stand  any 
show  of  being  elected  at  all,  I  must,  at  least,  let  the 
people  see  that  I  am  a  full  grown  man.  There  isn't 
any  use  for  me  to  tell  you  of  my  aims,  should  I  be 
elected.  It  is  hard  to  tell  just  what  I  should  do,  until 
I  have  more  information  at  hand  as  to  what  ought  to 
be  done.  For  fear  you  might  be  misled  as  to  my  qual- 
ifications, I  wish  you  to  look  at  my  Normal  school 
diploma,  showing  me  a  graduate  from  the  teachers' 
course,  and  first  grade  county  certificate,  issued  me  by 
Professor  Littleman.  You  will  notice  he  gives  me  very 
high  markings.  These  papers  ought  to  settle  the  mat- 
ter of  educational  qualifications.  You  will  have  to  use 
your  own  judgment  as  to  whether  you  think  I  am  en- 
dowed with  enough  common  sense  to  properly  conduct  a 
public  office.  So  far  as  I  can  see,  the  last  requirement 
mentioned  is  of  greater  importance  than  the  first.  A 
man  could  run  the  office  with  common  sense  alone,  but 
he  couldn't  run  it  without  common  sense  if  he  knew 
the  contents  of  all  the  books.  Now,  Mr.  Brown,  I 
leave  the  matter  with  you.  Good-by,"  and  with  a 


54  SILAS  COBB 

hearty,    honest  shake  of  the  hand,  he  went  on  to  the 
next  man. 

That  was  Silas  Cobb's  plan  of  canvass.  It  was  just 
like  him.  He  followed  his  own  bent.  Each  man  he 
left  admired  his  manly,  honest  ways.  They  enjoyed 
looking  into  his  open  countenance.  They  noticed  no 
envy  or  hatred  of  his  opponent.  Each  man  remem- 
bered as  he  looked  at  his  splendid  standings  shown  on 
his  certificate,  that  the  Professor  had  said  he  let  him 
pass  on  a  pinch.  They  contrasted  his  dignity  with  the 
Professor's  familiar,  vulgar  criticism.  They  did  not 
see  anything  green-looking  about  him.  He  looked 
even  brighter  than  the  Professor.  He  didn't  look  like 
a  kid  either.  He  stood  five  feet,  eleven  inches.  The 
Professor  was  full  three  inches  shorter. 

Long  before  the  election  day  came  around,  there 
were  many  events  that  caused  Silas  Cobb's  hope  to  rise. 
To  many  it  seemed  certain  that  his  election  was  already 
assured. 

At  last  the  election  was  held  and  the  votes  were 
counted.  It  was  a  great  victory  for  Silas  Cobb.  He 
carried  every  township  in  the  county.  It  seemed  that 
almost  every  man  whom  he  had  met  and  shaken  hands 
with  had  cast  his  vote  for  him,  so  wonderful  was  his 
influence  over  those  with  whom  he  came  in  contact. 

Professor  Littleman  raved  about  his  defeat.  Said 
the  people  had  gone  crazy.  Didn't  know  a  good  thing 
when  they  saw  it,  and  many  other  uncomplimentary 
things. 

Silas  Cobb  was  delighted  with  his  success.  It  meant 
a  great  deal  to  him.  It  placed  him  high  above  his 
former  position,  and  set  him  ten  years  ahead  at  one 
bound. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

ON  DECEMBER  5th  he  was  to  succeed  Superin- 
tendent Littleman  as  county  superintendent, 
so  he  presented  himself  at  the  office  promptly 
at  nine  o'clock.  The  Professor  was  already  there,  and 
was  bustling  around  the  room  in  a  cloud  of  dust.  He 
had  pulled  a  few  dusty  records  and  blanks  out  from 
equally  dusty  shelves,  and  was  placing  them  on  the 
table.  They  had  not  been  disturbed  by  use,  or  a 
duster,  for  many  a  day. 

"Good-morning,  Professor,"  said  Silas,  on  entering 
the  room. 

"Good-morning,  sir,"  replied  the  Professor.  "I 
suppose  you  have  come  to  relieve  me  of  my  duties 
here?" 

"Yes,  sir,"  replied  Silas,  "I  am  here  for  that  pur- 
pose, but  there  is  no  haste  on  my  part.  I  only  came 
up  early  so  that  I  might  be  able  to  get  a  few  pointers 
from  you  before  you  found  it  necessary  to  leave.  I 
assure  you  that  I  shall  be  very  much  obliged  for  any 
information  or  advice  you  see  fit  to  give  me  before 
leaving.  I  have  much  to  learn,  I  am  sure,  and  your 
advice  and  help  will  benefit  the  people." 

"Mighty  little  would  I  help  you  for  the  people's 
sake,  I  can  tell  you,  sir,"  retorted  the  Professor. 
"Did  they  show  any  gratitude  to  me  for  all  I  have  done 
for  them?  Have  I  not  served  them  here  for  many 
years,  and  given  them  the  best  part  of  my  life,  and 
now  live  to  see  the  day  when  I  am  kicked  out  of  office 
by  them?  Oh,  no;  I  have  no  thanks  nor  help  for 
them.  Neither  do  I  owe  you  anything.  Yet  I  am  not 
averse  to  giving  you  a  little  help  if  you  are  quick  about 


56  SILAS  COBB 

it.  This  is  my  busy  day,  and  I  have  much  yet  to  do. 
What  can  I  do  for  you,  Mr.  Cobb?" 

"You  can't  do  anything  for  me,  Mr.  Littleman,  I 
assure  you.  You  might  possibly  have  done  something 
to  aid  the  work  of  the  schools,  by  giving  me  such 
information  and  advice  that  any  new  man  in  the  work 
would  need,  but,  so  far  as  I  am  personally  concerned, 
I  do  not  need  any  help  in  your  power  to  give.  Neither 
would  I  feel  like  accepting  it  if  you  had,  considering 
the  feeling  you  display." 

"Very  well,  sir,"  said  the  Professor,  "then  please 
sign  this  receipt  for  the  records  and  other  supplies  of 
the  office,  and  I  will  be  through  with  you  and  the  office 
for  good.  Here  is  the  receipt,"  and  this  is  a  copy  of 
the  one  he  handed  to  Silas: 

DECEMBER  5,  188 — ; 

Received  of  L.  J.  Littleman,  the  following  records 
and  supplies: 

1  Record  of  Teachers'  Examinations. 

1  Record  Book  (blank). 

Miscellaneous  lot  of  blanks. 

1  office  desk. 

6  chairs. 

Silas  looked  over  the  two  records  and  found  that  only 
one  of  them  had  been  used.  He  asked  what  the  blank 
record  was  for.  The  Professor  said  it  could  be  used 
for  anything  he  might  see  fit  to  record  in  it.  The 
teachers'  record  was  the  only  one  he  needed  to  keep. 
Perhaps  Mr.  Cobb  would  need  more  bookkeeping. 
Silas  asked  him  only  one  more  question,  and  that  was 
in  regard  to  the  institute  fund.  "Oh,"  he  said,  "you 
can  get  that  from  the  county  treasurer.  He  keeps  a 
record  of  it  I  suppose." 


SILAS  COBB  57 

"All  right,  Mr.  Littleman,  I  am  much  obliged  to 
you.  I  will  try  to  get  along  now,  if  you  have  nothing 
further  to  say." 

"I'll  bid  you  good-day,  then,  sir,"  said  Littleman. 

"Good-morning,  sir,"  replied  Cobb,  and  the  inter- 
view was  over. 

The  actions  of  the  Professor  had  been  so  contempt- 
ible, and  his  incompetency  so  glaring,  as  evidenced  by 
the  manner  in  which  he  had  kept  his  books,  and  this 
together  with  the  condescension  he  had  shown,  made 
Silas  thoroughly  disgusted  with  him.  So  much  so  that 
he  declared  to  himself  that  no  such  scene  should  take 
place  when  he  went  out  of  office.  He  would  do  his 
very  best  to  show  his  successor  every  courtesy,  though 
he  should  be  a  bitter  enemy. 

While  Silas  was  still  in  this  state  of  mind,  old  Henry 
Boggs  came  in  to  see  how  "the  boy"  looked  in  his  new 
honors.  "Come  in,  Mr.  Boggs,  and  let  me  display  a 
rather  bad  temper  to  you.  I  am  so  disgusted  with  the 
state  of  things  here  that  I  feel  like  making  a  hasty  vow 
to  you.  At  any  rate,  I  am  going  to  make  you  a  pledge 
of  honor  as  a  guarantee  to  my  successor  in  office. 
Whoever  he  may  be,  whether  friend  or  bitter  enemy, 
he  shall  receive  a  cordial  greeting  on  the  day  I  turn 
over  the  office  to  him,  and  I  shall  remain  with  him  as 
long  as  he  desires,  giving  him  needed  information  as 
to  the  details  of  the  work.  My  worthy  predecessor, 
who  has  left  me  with  simply  a  'good-day,  sir,'  turned 
over  these  two  books  here,  as  the  complete  office  outfit. 
If  this  is  all  there  is  to  the  office,  the  remainder  of  it 
must  be  a  matter  of  memory,  and  his  memory  at  that. 
He  left  without  offering  a  word  of  advice,  though  I 
did  ask  him  to  advise  me  on  what  he  thought  I  needed. 
J  suppose  I  will,  in  time,  get  the  odd  ends  together, 


58  SILAS  COBB 

but  it  would  have  been  an  easy  task  for  him  to  help  me 
get  a  start.  In  fact,  it  was  his  duty  to  have  everything 
written  up  and  a  record  made  of  it.  As  it  is,  this 
record  of  examination  of  teachers  is  the  only  thing  here 
that  has  a  mark  in  it.  This  book  with  it  has  never 
been  used  at  all.  So  you  see  I  am  to  begin  work  to-day 
with  an  examination  record  as  the  basis.  Who  are  the 
teachers,  and  where  teaching?  I  don't  know.  Who 
are  the  school  officers,  and  where  are  the  school  dis- 
tricts and  schoolhouses  located?  I  don't  know.  What 
has  he  been  doing  and  where  has  he  kept  all  this  vast 
amount  of  data  that  ought  to  be  a  permanent  record  of 
the  office?  I  don't  know.  I  say .  this  to  you,  Mr. 
Boggs,  as  I  would  to  a  father,  and  I  would  not  have 
you  discuss  it  outside,  but  I  think  a  man  who  will  hold 
a  public  office  as  long  as  Superintendent  Littleman  has, 
and  turn  it  over  to  his  successor  in  such  an  outrageous 
condition,  is  one  of  two  things:  He  is  either  dishonest 
or  incompetent.  And  so  far  as  I  am  concerned,  I 
wouldn't  have  any  choice  between  the  two  conditions. 
But  I  want  you  to  be  my  witness  to-day,  and  disown  me 
if  I  fail  in  the  least,  that  I  shall  leave  every  act  of  my 
official  career  a  matter  of  record,  open  to  inspection,  so 
that  my  successors  will  see  what  has  been  done.  There 
shall  be  no  doubts  about  what  I  did  and  didn't  do.  My 
records  in  the  office  will  show  it  in  detail.  Now  what 
do  I  know  about  his  institute  fund?  Not  a  thing. 
This  office  shows  that  he  never  had  any  by  its  silence 
on  the  subject.  The  very  idea  of  a  public  officer  hand- 
ling a  large  sum  of  money  annually  and  never  keeping 
an  official  account  of  it  in  his  office  is  simply  little  short 
of  criminal." 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

MR.  BOGGS  was  a  little  surprised  at  this  tirade, 
as  it  was  not  like  Mr.  Cobbto  criticise  sharply 
the  acts  of  others. 

"Silas,"  he  said,  "ye  make  me  happy.  I  alus  thought 
ye  a  girl  iu  temper,  but  plagued  ef  I  don't  believe  ye 
can  git  up  some  spunk  anyhow."  "Silas,"  continued 
the  old  man  impressively,  "I  ain't  got  any  eddication, 
as  ye  well  know,  an'  I  ain't  goin'  t'  say  anything  about 
sich  matters,  but  ef  ye  don't  mind  t'  listen  t'  an  old 
man  like  me,  I  want  t'  say  something  t'  ye  like  I  would 
t'  a  son  uv  my  own." 

"I  do  hope  you  will,  Mr.  Boggs,"  said  Silas.  "I 
know  you  have  learned  many  things  that  would  be  a 
great  help  to  a  boy  like  me.  Do  go  on." 

"Well,  ef  ye  don't  mind,  Silas,  I  want  t'  give  ye 
some  uv  my  observin's.  I  have  lived  in  these  here 
parts  nigh  on  fifty  years  now,  comin'  here  when  I  wuz 
about  twenty-three  years  old,  jest  about  yer  age  I 
reckon.  When  I  wuz  leavin'  my  old  hum  in  Indiany, 
I  wuz  jest  sixteen.  That  wuz  seven  years  afore  I  come 
here.  My  old  pap  give  me  some  mighty  good  advice, 
but  good  as  it  wuz,  it  seems  to  me  now  I  never  got  a 
good  hold  on  it  fer  more'n  fifteen  years.  It  jest  some- 
times seems  t'  me  a  man's  got  t'  git  blistered  a  few 
times  afore  he  finally  keeps  away  from  bilin'  water. 
The  morn  in'  I  wuz  leavin'  hum  t'  work  fer  myself,  my 
old  pap,  he  says  t'  me,  'Henry,  come  with  me  t'  the 
field  this  mornin',  I  want  t'  give  ye  some  wholesome 
advice  afore  ye  'gin  going'  fer  yerself.  I  says  'alright, 
pap',  an'  I  trotted  along  side  the  double  shovel  plow 
an'  old  Nell  till  we  got  in  t'  the  cornfield.  Then  my 


60  SILAS  COBB 

old  pap,  he  says:  'Henry,  yer  'bout  makin'  a  start 
out  in  the  world  fer  yerself  now,  an'  I  can  give  ye 
nothin'  in  money.  The  only  thing  I  can  give  ye  is  my 
observin's  uv  life  as  it  is  lived  in  the  world.  'Pears  to 
me  now,  Henry,  lookin'  back  over  nigh  onto  sixty 
years,  that  I  mought  have  been  a  rich  man,  an'  able  t' 
give  ye  a  start  in  life,  ef  I  had  done  some  things  that 
wa'n't  jest  straight.  Then  agin,  I  mought  have  lost  it 
agin,  ye  can't  tell.  But,  Hennie,  there's  one  thing  I 
saved  by  not  bein'  able  t'  give  ye  a  start  in  life.  I 
saved  havin'  that  feelin'  I'd  have  a  givin'  ye  a  start 
with  money  I  took  from  some  one  else  by  trick  or 
stealth.  I  am  an  old  man  now,  an'  not  long  t'  live, 
an'  I  tell  ye,  Hennie,  it's  the  pleasantest  thing  uv  my 
life  t'  feel  I  ain't  wronged  no  one  that  I  knows  uv. 
Ever'  man  has  his  own  row  to  hoe  er  plow  as  he  sees 
fit.  No  matter  which  implement  he  uses,  ef  he  uses  it 
well.  Now  it  'pears  t'  me  that  this  row  uv  corn  here 
is  pretty  much  like  a  man's  life.  Ye  start  out  in  it, 
an'  there'll  be  weeds  a  plenty  a  growin'.  Now  there's 
an  old  kuckle  bur  a  growin'  rank.  Ef  I  don't  hold  a 
steady  han'  when  my  plow  strikes  it,  it'll  slip  off  t' 
one  side  an'  make  me  plow  up  a  hill  uv  corn.  Ye  see, 
Henry,  it  not  only  leaves  the  bur  growin'  t'  scatter 
its  pesky  seeds  through  the  hull  field,  but  it  destroys  a 
hill  uv  corn  in  t'  the  bargain.  Ye'r  understandin'  what 
I'm  drivin'  at,  ain't  ye,  Hennie?'  I  says  'yes,  pap;  ye 
mean  fer  me  t'  make  believe  that  the  burs  air  the  bad 
things  that  git  root  in  a  man's  heart,  an'  that  in  gittin' 
root  somethin'  good  is  choked  out.'  'That's  it  'zactly, 
son',  he  says,  'ye  got  t'  hoe  a  steady  course  an'  plow 
clear  through  t'  the  end  uv  the  row.  Whenever  pesky 
weeds  git  in  yer  way,  uproot  them  t'  once.  Don't 
argue  it  at  all;  ef  ye  do  ye'r  lost.' 


SILAS  COBB 


61 


"Now,  Silas,  that  is  jest  as  nigh  as  I  can  recollec' 
what  my  old  pap  told  me,  an'  it  took  jest  about  fifteen 
years  afore  I  got  t'  thinkiu'  much  about  it.  When  a 
feller's  young  he  don't  worry  about  sich  things  much. 
But  ye'r  beginniu'  life  in  a  public  office,  an'  ye'r  young 


it  'pears  t'  me  this  row  uv  corn  liert  is  pretty 
much  like  a  man's  life." 

yet.  There'll  be  them  that  will  represent  the  kuckle 
bur,  an'  try  t'  make  ye  plow  up  a  hill  o'  corn  fer 
their  sakes.  There'll  be  many  times,  too,  Silas,  when 
ye'll  be  tempted  t'  do  it.  But  when  ye  come  t'  one  uv 
them  temptin'  places,  jest  recollec'  old  Henry's  kuckle 
burs,  an'  uproot  'em.  Fer  ef  you  don't,  ye'll  have 


62  SILAS  COBB 

what  my  old  pap  called  a  'rocky  row.'  It'll  be  so 
bloomin'  full  uv  burs  iu  a  year  ye  won't  be  able  to 
see  the  corn.  There'll  be  politicians,  too,  who'll  come 
t'  ye  in  the  interest  uv  some  frien'.  They  don't  know 
nor  keer  how  well  eddicated  er  fit  they  be  fer  teachin'. 
That  cuts  no  figger  with  them.  They  want  ye  t'  give 
'em  a  certif-i-kate.  Ye'r  likely  to  think  ye  would  ruin 
yersel'  if  ye  failed  to  favor  these  chaps,  but  ye 
wouldn't  Silas.  Ye  jest  smile  an'  treat  'em  nice,  but 
let  'em  understan'  ye'll  settle  the  matter  'cordin'  t' 
rules.  By  an'  by,  as  yer  cultivatin'  goes  on,  ye'll 
see  less  and  less  uv  them  burs  in  yer  row,  an'  in  time, 
ye  can  hope  not  t'  see  a  cussed  one.  They  can't  stan' 
hard  plowin'.  Now,  Silas,  my  son,  them's  the  words 
uv  an  old  man  whose  observin's  have  been  spread  out 
over  three-quarters  uv  a  century.  I've  been  uprootiu' 
them  kuckle  burs  fer  many  years,  an'  t'  be  honest 
with  ye,  Silas,  the's  a  good  many  left  yit,  but  not  nigh 
so  many  as  the'  was  t'  begin  with,  an'  I  am  feelin' 
pretty  comfortable.  Don't  keep  me  nothin'  like  busy 
uprootin'  'em.  So  them's  my  words,  Silas;  I  ain't 
covered  no  particular  p'ints.  I  jest  give  ye  the  gen- 
eral principles  that  fits  all  uv  us." 

The  old  man  stopped  and  gazed  reflectively  at  the 
floor.  His  mind,  no  doubt,  was  hunting  for  some- 
thing long  ago  lost — perhaps  before  Silas  Cobb  was 
born. 

When  he  failed  to  continue  his  philosophy,  Silas 
thanked  him  heartily  for  his  advice,  and  told  him  he 
was  sure  it  would  be  a  guide  to  him  in  many  a  doubt- 
ful place. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

FUST  at  this  poiiit,  Mr.  Cobb  received  his  second 
caller.  A  young  lady,  perhaps  twenty-two  years 
of  age,  appeared  in  the  doorway,  and  with  her 


" Held  oul  her  hands  to  him  with  a  glad  smile  and   Itearty 
greeting." 

appearance,  old  man  Boggs  uttered  a  sigh  of  admira- 
tion. She  had  a  wonderful  face  and  a  figure  to  match 
it.  Dark  eyes,  wavy  black  hair,  ruddy  cheeks  and  lips, 
and  a  complexion  almost  transparent.  She  came  right 


64  SILAS  COBB 

up  to  Mr.  Cobb  like  an  old  friend,  which  she  was,  and 
held  out  her  hands  to  him  with  a  glad  smile  and  hearty 
greeting. 

'  'Mr.  Cobb,  I  came  up  early  to  congratulate  you.  I 
can  hardly  tell  you  how  glad  I  am  you  were  elected. 
When  I  first  heard  of  it  I  intended  to  write  you,  but  I 
concluded  I  would  rather  wait  and  come  to  you  myself 
so  you  could  see  how  much  I  meant  it." 

"I  believe  you,  Miss  Howe,"  said  Silas,  "and  it  does 
me  a  great  deal  of  good,  and  pays  me  a  compliment  I 
appreciate  very  much,  to  have  you  come.  How  are 
you,  anyway,  Julia?  It's  a  long  time  since  you  and  I 
ran  barefoot  together  over  the  dusty  roads,  isn't  it? 
Let's  see;  it's  now  fourteen  years  ago,  isn't  it?  We 
were  just  nine  years  old  then;  your  birthday  came  in 
June  and  mine  in  May." 

"Now  that's  a  perfect  shame,  Mr.  Cobb,  that  you 
should  remember  that  so  well.  I  shall  never  be  able  to 
conceal  my  age  from  you,  shall  I?  And  there,  too,  you 
have  given  it  away  to  Mr.  Boggs,  who,  I  am  sure,  will 
tell  it  to  all  the  young  men  of  his  neighborhood."  So 
the  light  talk  ran  on  for  some  time,  all  of  which  told 
the  story  of  Miss  Julia  Howe's  character  to  a  keeu 
observer  as  plainly  as  if  it  were  a  printed  page.  She 
was  very  pretty,  and  no  one  knew  it  so  well  as  herself. 
She  was  vain  and  selfish,  and  had  a  very  superficial 
knowledge  of  what  she  had  been  teaching.  In  short, 
it  was  plainly  apparent  that  the  years  of  her  maturity 
had  been  passed  over  successfully,  on  account  of  her 
good  looks.  As  old  Henry  Boggs  expressed  it  a  little 
later,  "She  traveled  on  her  shape." 

This  fact  had  been  commented  on  many  times  before 
by  people  who  knew  her.  A  few  months  later,  Miss 
Jessie  Parks,  a  very  staunch  character,  teaching  in  No. 


SILAS  COBB  65 

7,  Muddy  Creek  township,  remarked  to  another  teacher 
one  day:  "Well,  I  don't  know  how  it  is  that  Julia 
Howe  gets  along  as  well  as  she  does.  She  gets  as  good, 
if  not  a  better,  cei-tificate  every  year  than  I  do.  She 
seems  to  get  the  best  school  to  teach.  She  never  at- 
tends teachers'  meetings.  She  has  a  very  limited 
knowledge  of  the  common  branches.  In  fact,  I  have 
helped  her  on  simple  problems  that  my  pupils  are  con- 
versant with,  and  grammar  she  has  no  knowledge  of 
whatever.  Yet,  with  all  that,  she  gets  along  better 
than  I  do,  while  I  work  at  the  profession  the  year 
round,  and  attend  all  educational  meetings." 

"I  know  why,"  said  her  friend.  "It's  because  she's 
as  pretty  as  she  can  be.  No  man  can  resist  that  face 
and  smile  of  hers.  She  jollies  them  into  giving  her 
anything  she  wants.  It's  the  same  way  with  school 
boards.  Why,  do  you  know,  that  girl  never  failed  to 
get  any  school  she  ever  applied  for,  if  a  teacher  had 
not  been  engaged?  School  boards  are  her  easiest  marks. 
Oh,  she  is  a  jollier  from  away  back!  You  and  I,  Jes- 
sie, are  neither  handsome  nor  young  any  more,  and 
can't  hope  to  compete  with  Julia  Howe.  We've  got  to 
make  up  for  it  by  being  absolutely  first-class  in  our 
work." 

"Well,  I  don't  know  about  the  competition,  now," 
remarked  Miss  Parks.  "I  fancy  Silas  Cobb  is  not 
going  to  be  greatly  influenced  by  Julia.  He  is  not 
much  of  a  hand  for  girls,  anyway;  besides  he  is  abso- 
lutely honest  and  straightforward  in  his  manners.  I 
rather  think  you  will  find  Julia  working  on  the  ground 
floor  with  us  this  year." 

"Don't  you  think  it,"  said  her  friend.      "Si  Cobb  is 

flesh  and  bone,  same  as  other  men,   and  you  just  mark 

6   my  words,  Julia  Howe  can  bend  him  round  her  finger 


66  SILAS  COBB 

in  a  day.  Why,  he  is  young  and  has  never  been 
around  much.  He'll  be  just  like  a  child  in  her  hands. 
Look  how  she  has  had  the  Professor  under  her  thumb 
for  years.  Anything  she  wanted  to  do,  she  did,  and 
anything  she  didn't  want  to  do,  she  didn't  do,  and  the 
Professor  let  her  go.  If  it  had  been  you  or  I,  we 
would  have  received  notice  of  a  revocation  of  our  cer- 
tificates." 

"You  need  not  compare  Silas  Cobb  to  the  Professor," 
Miss  Parks  retorted.  "You  don't  know  him,  or  you 
wouldn't  speak  that  way.  He  has  a  mind  of  his  owu, 
and  Julia  will  not  be  able  to  twist  him  about.  She  will 
be  the  one  that  will  be  twisted,  and  I  shall  be  greatly 
surprised  if  she  isn't  broken  in  the  operation,  too." 

This  discussion  between  two  leading  teachers  of  the 
county  will  give  the  reader  a  fair  estimate  of  Miss 
Julia  Howe's  reputation,  and  what  seemed  to  b«  her 
long  suit. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

AFTER  she  had  chatted  for  a  half  hour  over  trifles 
with  Mr.  Cobb  and  Mr.  Boggs,  she  left  prom- 
ising to  call  again  soon. 

"Gee  whiz!"  commented  Mr.  Boggs.  "She's  pretty 
as  a  pictur',  ain't  she,  Si?  Sufferin'  Moses!  ef  that 
gal  ain't  a  reg'lar  peach.  Si,  how  come  ye  t'  know 
her?" 

"Oh,  she  and  I  were  children  together  before  my 
parents  died.  We  lived  next  door  to  the  Howes,  and 
Julia  and  I  played  together  for  two  years.  I  have  met 
her  quite  often  since  then,  and  we  have  kept  our  old 
friendship  alive.  She  is  a  very  beautiful  girl,  and  it 
distresses  me  just  a  little.  Seems  to  me  I  see  a  little 
trouble  ahead  of  me." 

He  fell  into  a  deep  study  for  a  moment,  and  the  old 
man  seemed  to  be  thinking  along  the  same  lines. 

"Say,  Si,  I  f ergot  t'  tell  ye  'bout  another  weed  that's 
dif'runt  from  the  kuckle  bur.  What  makes  this  here 
weed  so  bad  is,  when  it  grows  up  nextt'  the  corn,  ye  can 
skursly  tell  it  from  the  corn.  It  has  leaves  jest  about 
like  the  corn,  as  it  were,  and  while  it  ain't  hard  t' 
uproot,  it  takes  a  good  eye  t'  know  it.  An'  do  ye 
know,  Si,  that  the's  jest  lots  uv  men  in  this  world  who 
ain't  never  been  able  t'  tell  which  from  t'other,  an'  they 
go  on  cultivatin'  this  thing,  which  ain't  neither  corn 
nor  weed,  an'  they  never  find  out  the  diffrunce  till  they 
begin  shuckin'  in  the  fall.  Ye  ketch  my  meanin',  don't 
ye,  Si?" 

"Yes,  Mr.  Boggs,  I  understand  you  thoroughly,  and 
was  thinking  how  splendidly  you  illustrated  a  point 
that  neither  of  us  feel  like  openly  discussing." 


68  SILAS  COBB 

"That's  so,*  that's  so,"  said  Mr.  Boggs.  "The  gal's 
a  perfect  lady;  no  doubt  uv  that.  She  needs  trainin', 
an'  dependence  on  her  own  pasture.  'I  should  jedge 
she's  been  browsin'  on  other  people's  fodder  fer  some 
time  back." 

"Come,  Mr.  Boggs,  it  is  past  noon.  You  are  to  go 
to  dinner  with  me.  I  am  going  to  board  at  the  City 
Hotel,  and  shall  want  my  baggage  taken  there.  Major 
Kent  is  a  nice  old  fellow,  and  will  be  greatly  pleased 
to  have  me  stop  with  him.  Come,  let  us  go  over." 

When  they  walked  into  the  little  hotel  office,  they 
found  the  Major  behind  the  desk.  He  was  very  tall, 
and  very  thin;  had  a  little  bunch  of  whiskers  under  his 
chin,  and  a  row  of  white  false  teeth;  wore  a  Prince 
Albert  coat  and  brown  trousers,  year  in  and  year  out. 

"Why,  bless  my  life,  ef  it  ain't  that  old  hairy  Boggs 
an'  Si  Cobb.  Come  in,  ye  old  gorilla,  I'm  jest  as  glad 
as  I  can  be  t'  see  ye,  anyhow.  How  be  Mis'  Boggs? 
An'  Si'  how  be  ye,  too?  Air  ye  holdin'  office  t'  day, 
a-greetin'  uv  yer  friends?" 

The  old  Major  asked  so  many  questions,  and  never 
waited  for  answers,  nor  wanted  any  for  that  matter, 
that  no  particular  attention  was  given  to  answering 
them. 

Mr.  Boggs,  with  a  twinkle  of  humor  in  his  eye, 
looked  at  Silas  and  said:  "Don't  see  nothin'  wantin' 
in  that  greetin',  do  ye,  Si?"  It  seems  proper  fer  two 
uv  the  biggest  politicians  in  the  hull  county  t'  be  given 
the  glad  han'  by  a  great  sojer  like  the  Major.  I  fergive 
ye  the  ugly  names  ye  called  me,  ye  old  rail-splitter, 
'cause  ye'r  a  pretty  good  old  skeleton,  anyhow."  After 
they  had  finished  joking  each  other,  Silas  engaged  the 
best  room  in  the  house,  and  showed  Mr.  Boggs  into  his 
new  home. 


SILAS  COBB  efl 

That  afternoon  they  went  back  to  the  office,  and  took 
another  look  at  what  there  was  in  the  way  of  supplies. 
That  didn't  take  long.  The  record  book  before  men- 
tioned, containing  a  list  of  teachers'  certificates  issued, 
was  the  only  scrap  of  evidence  there  was  that  there 
had  ever  been  a  county  superintendent.  It  was  evident 
at  once  to  Silas'  logical  mind  that  the  first  thing  he 
needed  was  a  complete  set  of  books  to  properly  record 
all  his  official  acts.  But  what  books,  and  what  kind? — 
that  was  the  question. 

"Say,  Silas,"  said  Mr.  Boggs,  "who  wuz  that  young 
feller  up  at  Springfield  ye  told  me  uv,  that  made  old 
Blockhead  hunt  his  hole  an'  crawl  in,  pullin'  it  after 
him?  There's  the  feller  ye  want  t'  see  t'  once." 

"Why,  that's  Superintendent  Ed  Smith,  of  Brown-, 
ville.  I  hadn't  thought  of  him.  Yes  sir,  he's  the 
man  I  want  to  see  this  very  night.  I  will  just  get  on 
the  five  o'clock  train  and  run  over  there,  and  come  back 
on  the  morning  train.  Mr.  Smith  will  be  glad  to  help 
me  get  started,  I  am  sure." 

"That's  shorely  true,  Silas.  Ye  can  git  somethin' 
fresh  an'  good  from  that  feller.  He's  young,  an'  been 
in  office  long  enough  t'  find  out  some  of  his  mistakes." 


CHAPTER   XVI. 

THAT  night  Silas  called  on  Mr.  Smith  and  received 
a  very  warm  welcome.  When  he  had  stated  the 
object  of  his  visit,  Mr.  Smith  said: 
"Why,  of  course,  I  shall  be  delighted  to  do  every- 
thing I  can  for  you.  To  begin  with,  Mr.  Cobb,  I 
want  to  say  to  you  that  I  didn't  show  the  good  judg- 
ment you  have  when  I  came  into  office.  I  went  to 
work  and  got  out  a  lot  of  records  and  had  them  made 
up  to  my  order.  My  mistake  was  in  doing  this  before 
I  had  ever  seen  anyone  else's  records  or  talked  to  any- 
one about  it.  The  people  who  made  my  books  were 
first-class  workmen,  and  you  will  see  the  records  are 
all  well  made,  but  they  knew  nothing  about  matters  of 
supervision,  and  were  unable  to  give  me  any  advice. 
I  have  since  found  that  the  books  were  not  what  I  want 
at  all.  If  I  had  gone  to  some  wide-awake  superintend- 
ent, and  examined  his  books  or  put  myself  in  communi- 
cation with  some  house  that  makes  a  specialty  of  this 
work,  I  would  have  been  infinitely  better  off.  I  have 
since  been  shown  whole  sets  of  records  for  every 
department  of  work,  that  embodies  every  known  con- 
venience and  requirement  in  the  simplest  manner,  by 
the  representative  of  a  publishing  house  that  does 
nothing  but  study  the  needs  of  our  work  and  make  our 
supplies.  Had  I  gone  to  them  in  the  first  place  I 
would  have  been  able  to  show  you  a  system  of  office 
records  to  be  proud  of,  but  instead  have  now  only  to 
show  you  my  mistakes,  which  perhaps  will  help  you 
equally  as  well. 

"As  an  evidence  of  my  mistake,  look  at  this  ponder- 
ous volume  here.     It  contains  eigkt  or  ten    different 


SILAS  COBB  71 

forms,  and  not  one  of  them  is  made  up  as  I  would  make 
them  now,  in  the  light  of  what  I  have  seen.  I  could 
have  purchased  all  of  these  forms  in  separate  books, 
more  convenient  to  handle,  and  infinitely  better  adapted 
to  the  work,  for  just  about  half  what  it  cost  the  county 
to  make  this  book.  There  is  no  use,  Mr.  Cobb,  for  a 
superintendent,  the  first  term  he  is  in  office,  no  matter 
how  bright  he  may  be,  to  attempt  to  improve  on  the 
forms  and  records  put  on  the  market  by  men  who  have 
been  engaged  in  it  for  years.  To  do  so  presupposes 
these  men  to  be  half-witted,  or  at  best  not  overly  bright 
in  the  occupation  they  have  taken  up  as  a  specialty.  As 
a  matter  of  fact  they  have  their  salesmen  out  all  over 
the  United  States,  and  are  in  a  position  to  get  all  the 
latest  ideas  on  everything  new,  and  as  a  business  prop- 
osition, they  are  not  slow  to  adopt  the  best.  It  is 
reasonably  safe  to  take  what  they  offer  you  in  prefer- 
ence to  attempting  to  make  up  something  new  your- 
self." 

Then  Mr.  Smith  went  from  book  to  book,  and  showed 
Silas  Cobb  all  the  work  he  had  done.  Not  a  thing  was 
missing.  There  was  a  record  that  showed  the  location 
of  every  teacher  in  the  county,  and  all  the  information 
that  was  of  any  use  was  given  in  detail.  There  were 
school  officers'  records  and  examination  records,  both 
for  teachers  and  pupils.  There  were  the  records  of 
finance  and  letter  books,  all  kept  in  the  most  exact 
manner.  In  regard  to  the  records  of  the  institute  fund, 
Mr.  Smith  said: 

"Mr.  Cobb,  I  want  to  especially  call  your  attention 
to  the  importance  of  keeping  your  institute  fund  ac- 
count in  the  most  systematic  manner  possible.  This  is 
a  matter  that  the  county  commissioners  will  examine 
into  every  term,  and  sometimes  every  year.  It  ought 


72  SILAS  COBB 

to  be  kept  so  there  would  be  no  doubt  or  guess  work 
about  the  correctness  of  the  account.  Should  you  keep 
this  account  in  a  loose,  careless  manner,  an  enemy 
could  make  you  a  great  deal  of  annoyance  by  insinuat- 
ing that  your  accounts  were  not  what  they  ought  to  be. 
Such  a  criticism  made  to  a  county  board  of  commis- 
sioners in  connection  with  a  poorly  kept  set  of  books 
would  do  you  infinite  damage,  not  only  with  the  board 
but  with  the  people.  The  fact  that  the  books  were 
poorly  kept  would  be  ground  for  suspicion.  Now  what 
I  did,  as  soon  as  I  found  that  the  needs  of  the  office 
called  for  it,  was  to  buy  a  full  set  of  records  for  this 
fund,  consisting  of  a  ledger  with  properly  headed  col- 
umns for  all  kinds  of  certificates,  renewals,  and  rejec- 
tions, for  each  month,  together  with  the  items  of  ex- 
pense; a  book  of  reports  to  the  county  treasurer  with 
stubs  for  treasurer's  receipts;  and  a  book  of  warrants 
against  the  fund,  a  stub  of  which  showed  all  deposits 
and  balances. 

"Now  these  three  books  constitute  quite  an  accurate 
account  of  the  fund,  and  will  check  with  each  other. 
Thus  the  treasurer's  receipts  check  with  the  same  de- 
posit entered  on  the  stub  of  my  warrant  book,  and  this 
in  turn  checks  with  the  amount  of  the  month's  receipts 
entered  in  the  ledger.  The  first  year  of  my  work  I 
had  nothing  of  this  kind.  My  predecessor  left  an  ordi- 
nary fifty  cent  double  column  ledger  in  the  office,  and 
nothing  more.  I  kept  my  accounts  just  as  he  did  his, 
and  turned  that  little  old  thing  over  to  the  board  to 
'check  up.'  There  happened  to  be  a  banker  on  the 
board  that  year  and  when  he  saw  that  book,  you  ought 
to  have  seen  the  disgust  pictured  on  his  face.  'Mr. 
Smith,'  he  said,  'is  this  all  the  bookkeeping  you  have?' 
I  told  him  it  was.  'Well,  where  are  your  warrant 


SILAS  COBB  73 

stubs,  and  receipts  for  deposits,  etc?'  I  didn't  have 
any  and  told  him  I  supposed  they  had  been  lost,  as  they 
were  kept  in  a  pigeonhole  in  the  desk.  The  other  two 
members  had  been  on  the  board  for  years  and  they  had 
never  seen  anything  of  the  kind,  and  didn't  know  much 
about  such  matters  anyway.  'Well,  I'll  tell  you  gen- 
tlemen, what  I  think  about  it,'  said  the  banker.  'I 
think  there  is  no  doubt  about  Mr.  Smith  having 
accounted  for  every  dollar  of  the  fund,  but  to  save  our 
lives,  we  can't  prove  it  by  his  books.  I,  as  one  of  this 
board,  advise  Mr.  Smith  to  open  up  a  complete  set  of 
books  so  this  fund  can  be  properly  accounted  for.  The 
idea  of  anyone  having  so  little  sense  as  to  buy  such  a 
thing  as  this  book  in  which  to  keep  a  permanent  ac- 
count for  the  county  is  past  my  understanding,'  and 
with  that  he  tossed  the  old  paper-backed  ledger  over  to 
me  in  disgust  and  said:  'If  I  kept  my  bank's  accounts 
that  way,  I  would  land  in  the  penitentiary  before  the 
year  was  up.'  And  it  is  a  fact,  too,  he  would.  These 
books  I  am  showing  you  were  purchased  from  a  pub- 
lishing house  at a  short  .time  afterwards,  and 

when  I  presented  them  to  the  board  the  next  year,  each 
took  a  book,  (there  are  three  you  see)  and  checked  my  ac- 
counts in  twenty  minutes.  They  were  very  much  pleased 
and  the  banker  told  me  I  was  a  genius  to  get  up  such  a 
set  of  books.  I  was  tempted  to  let  him  believe  it. 

"Here  are  my  letter  books.  In  these  you  will  find 
every  letter  of  an  official  nature  I  ever  wrote.  They  are 
indexed  and  the  books  are  all  labeled,  so  I  can  tell  in 
what  book  to  look  for  a  certain  letter.  Many  say  this 
is  nonsense,  but  I  tell  you  it  is  a  great  deal  of  satisfac- 
tion to  me  and  I  often  find  use  for  them." 

After  a  few  hours  spent  as  above  indicated,  Silas 
Cobb  had  just  about  all  he  could  absorb  at  one  sitting, 


74  SILAS  COBB 

and  after  thanking  Superintendent  Smith  and  promis- 
ing to  come  again  soon  for  more  help,  he  went  home. 
It  is  unnecessary  to  add  that  he  at  once  procured  a  full 
set  of  records  and  started  his  work  from  the  beginning 
along  the  most  approved  lines. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

THE  first  few  weeks  he  had  much  to  do  in  gather- 
ing together  the  loose  ends  of  the  office,  and 
getting  his  work  mapped  out.  While  he  was 
doing  this  there  was  much  gossip  in  Cowville  as  to  his 
probable  success.  Many  still  claimed  that  a  great  mis- 
take had  been  made  in  replacing  Professor  Litileraan, 
a  man  of  great  experience,  with  a  boy  of  no  experience 
whatever.  "Why,  what  could  they  expect  from  such 
an  upstart?"  said  some.  Others  said  he  couldn't  be 
any  worse  than  Littleman  was,  and  there  were  many 
others  still,  who  claimed  that  they  could  see  many  rea- 
sons why  more  could  be  expected  than  ever  before.  So 
matters  stood  that  way  for  several  months,  until  Silas 
began  to  quietly  create  an  impression  on  the  people. 
This  was  his  formative  period.  He  was  not  only  tak- 
ing form  and  growing,  but  he  was  also  shaping  the 
opinions  of  his  people  by  the  manner  in  which  he  con- 
ducted himself. 

One  day  after  he  had  been  in  office  six  weeks,  he  was 
thinking  about  calling  a  meeting  of  the  teachers.  It 
had  been  customary  for  years  to  have  one  county  meet- 
ing of  teachers  each  year.  While  he  was  debating  this 
point  in  his  mind,  it  occurred  to  him  that  it  was  not  of 
very  much  use  after  all,  to  have  only  a  few  hours  of  a 
year  for  discussion  of  educational  subjects.  Why  not 
have  several  meetings,  in  fact  one  a  month?  Then  he 
saw  the  objection  to  that  was  the  necessary  expense  teach- 
ers would  incur  in  coming  so  far  to  attend.  Then  why 
couldn't  there  be  several  meetings  held  at  different 
places  in  the  county,  so  the  teachers  would  have  to 
spend  neither  too  much  money  nor  time  to  attend? 


76  SILAS  COBB 

From  this  idea  he  developed  his  plans  rapidly.  He 
would  have  about  ten  different  places  of  meeting.  He 
would  select  a  local  leader  for  each  of  these  meetings, 
and  they  should  be  held  monthly.  That  would  give 
ample  opportunity  for  teachers  to  keep  abreast  of  the 
times.  Then,  too,  it  would  help  to  give  the  teachers  a 
clear  understanding  of  the  course  of  study  which  he  pro- 
posed to  introduce.  There  they  could  discuss  every 
phase  of  it  from  month  to  month.  By  this  time  he  had 
become  so  enthusiastic  over  the  subject  that  he  must 
talk  to  some  one  about  it.  He  went  over  to  see  John 
Brainard,  principal  of  the  schools  of  Cowville,  a  bright 
fellow  of  his  own  age.  He  explained  the  plan  to  Mr. 
Brainard,  and  received  his  enthusiastic  endorsement  of 
it  at  once.  "Yes  sir,  Mr.  Cobb,"  said  Braiuard,  "you 
may  put  me  down  as  one  of  your  most  earnest  workers. 
I  will  take  charge  of  the  work  of  this  section  for  you, 
as  you  request,  and  I  pledge  you  the  encouragement  of 
every  teacher  under  me." 

Here  is  where  Superintendent  Cobb  showed  off  to  his 
best  advantage.  He  was  gifted  with  unusually  good 
judgment.  He  was  almost  always  able  to  properly 
weigh  any  new  matter  presented  to  him.  Add  to  this, 
then,  his  fearlessness,  and  you  have  two  good  qualities 
combined.  Silas  Cobb  never  hesitated  after  he  made 
up  his  mind  what  ought  to  be  done.  It  was  on  this 
point  that  in  after  years  he  outclassed  most  of  his  col- 
leagues. While  his  neighboring  superintendents  (ex- 
cept Mr.  Smith)  were  leisurely  debating  the  advisability 
of  adopting  certain  plans,  Silas  Cobb  would  not  only 
have  decided  the  matter  one  way  or  the  other  for  him- 
self, but  would  probably  have  completed  the  test  in 
actual  practice.  In  the  course  of  a  conversation  with 
Superintendent  Smith  one  day,  Mr.  Smith  said:  "The 


SILAS  COBB  V 

greatest  trouble,  Mr.  Cobb,  with  most  people,  is  that 
they  work  too  slowly.  They  think  too  sluggishly.  A 
man's  life  is  very  short.  Sometimes  his  political  life 
is  extremely  short,  and  he  must  think  hard  and  fast, 
and  act.  He  can't  make  much  of  a  show  or  do  much 
good  if  he  spends  half  of  his  term  of  office  trying  to 
decide  whether  it  is  best  to  do  this  or  that.  We  had 
better  make  mistakes  now  and  then  as  a  result  of  hasty 
acts,  than  to  do  nothing  but  think.  The  good  one  does 
ought  to  over-balance  his  mistakes, if  he  keeps  everlast- 
ingly at  it.  Now  there's  Superintendent  Slowly,  over 
at  Sandy  Crossing;  you  know  him,  don't  you?  Well, 
that  fellow,  to  my  personal  knowledge,  has  spent  two 
years  debating  the  matter  of  introducing  a  course  of 
study  in  his  schools.  He  has  consulted  no  less  than 
200  teachers  and  school  officers  on  the  subject,  and  he 
is  not  yet  clear  as  to  the  best  course  to  pursue.  He 
will  spend  an  hour  getting  the  idea  pounded  into  the 
head  of  some  dense  school  officer  for  the  sake  of  getting 
his  opinion  upon  it.  If  it  happens  to  be  unfavorable 
to  the  project,  he  becomes  doubtful  right  away.  One 
day  I  shocked  him  by  telling  him  bluntly  what  I 
thought  of  such  work.  He  asked  me  what  I  did  when 
I  adopted  the  course.  I  told  him  J  just  adopted  it, 
that's  all;  didn't  wiggle-waggle  around  about  it  either; 
just  simply  purchased  150  copies  of  the  course  and 
mailed  one  to  each  teacher.  Wrote  her  full  particulars 
how  to  proceed  with  it,  and  told  her  to  proceed.  A 
month  later  I  wrote  asking  for  a  report  of  progress, 
which  brought  out  the  fact  that  several  teachers  were 
of  the  opinion  such  a  thing  was  impracticable,  and  they 
had  done  nothing  with  it.  Here's  where  I  shocked  Mr. 
Slowly.  He  wanted  to  know  what  I  said  to  those 
teachers.  'What  I  said?'  I  repeated  rather  brusquely, 


7«  SILAS  COBB 

'Why,  I  just  wrote  them  that  I  didn't  ask  for  their 
opinion.  I  wanted  to  know  what  progress  they  had 
made,  and  they  could  have  their  choice  between  a  dis- 
missal or  following  the  instructions  of  the  office.'  Well, 
sir,  you  ought  to  have  seen  his  face.  Of  course  I 
didn't  put  it  quite  so  bluntly  to  the  mossbacks  as  I  told 
him,  but  they  seemed  to  understand  it  clearly.  'Why, 
how  could  you  dismiss  them?'  he  said.  I  answered, 
'Revoke  their  certificates  for  insubordination.'  'Oh, 
you  couldn't  do  that,'  was  his  reply.  'Well,'  I  said, 
'I'll  tell  you,  Mr.  Slowly,  the  only  difference  I  can  see 
between  you  and  me  is,  I  run  the  affairs  of  my  county 
as  I  think  they  ought  to  go.  Over  in  your  county  you 
don't  do  anything  without  consulting  about  everybody 
in  your  county  before  you  do  it,  and  then  you  don't 
have  time  to  do  it  decently;  besides,  you  let  the  teach- 
ers disobey  your  instructions  whenever  they  see  fit  to 
follow  their  own  ideas  instead.  Whenever  I  have  a 
teacher  who  thinks  she  can't  follow  my  instructions  be- 
cause her  own  judgment  is  so  much  better,  I  simply 
drop  her  from  my  list  after  having  given  her  due  notice 
and  time  to  improve  her  opinion.  I  just  do  it,  that's 
all,  and  I  want  to  tell  you  that  my  teachers  now  would 
no  more  think  of  not  doing  their  very  best  to  carry  out 
every  detail  of  my  instructions  than  they  would  think 
of  asking  me  to  revoke  their  certificates.  Teachers 
will  do  just  as  you  let  them.  They  will  either  run  over 
you,  or  follow  your  instructions,  according  to  what 
they  think  will  be  the  safest  and  most  convenient  plan 
of  action." 

That  was  Mr.  Smith's  idea  of  how  a  superintendent 
ought  to  conduct  himself,  and  it  was  entirely  in  accord 
with  Silas  Cobb's  idea  also.  The  difference  between 
the  two  men  was  in  the  manner  of  prosecution.  Super- 


SILAS  COBB  79 

iotendent  Smith  was  rather  blunt,  and  made  little  effort 
to  soften  his  words.  He  often  made  enemies  as  a  result 
of  it,  while  Silas  Cobb  would  say  the  same  thing  in 
substance,  and  make  friends.  It  is  only  a  matter  of 
words  and  manner  of  using  them. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

LET  us  come  back  to  Superintendent  Cobb's  associ- 
ation plans.  He  divided  his  county  into  ten 
districts  aud  named  a  local  manager  for  each,  and 
prepared  programs  for  the  first  month's  work.  He 
mailed  them  to  all  the  teachers,  together  with  a  circular 
letter  outlining  his  plans.  It  provoked  a  great  deal  of 
discussion  all  over  the  county.  Professor  Littleman 
thought  it  a  great  joke,  and  encouraged  adverse  com- 
ment. It  got  to  such  a  point  that  many  teachers  did 
not  attend  the  first  meeting.  They  did  not  favor  the 
idea,  anyway,  and  being  encouraged  by  so  many  adverse 
criticisms,  they  stayed  away  with  a  feeling  of  perfect 
safety. 

These  meetings  were  called  for  the  month  of  March, 
and  when  Silas  got  his  first  reports  he  was  rather 
encouraged.  The  first  five  managers  to  report  told  of 
fairly  interesting  meetings,  with  probably  50  per  cent 
of  the  teachers  present.  The  last  five  to  report  showed 
almost  complete  failures.  Three  of  the  local  managers 
had  no  teachers  present,  and  the  other  two  had  only  a 
few.  He  reflected  a  great  deal  over  these  conditions, 
and  wondered  just  what  course  he  should  pursue  to  keep 
them  going.  He  knew  exactly  what  Smith  would  do 
under  the  circumstances,  and  concluded  that  he  would 
do  the  same.  He  wrote  a  sharp,  forceful  circular  on 
the  subject,  and  mailed  it  to  each  teacher.  Then  he 
got  the  newspapers  interested  and  filled  a  column  a 
week  on  this  and  other  subjects  for  the  next  three 
months.  By  exerting  every  effort  he  could  think 
of,  he  managed  to  keep  the  ten  divisions  alive  until 
they  could  adjourn  for  the  summer  vacation.  It  had 


SILAS  COBB  81 

been  up-hill  work,  and  Professor  Littleman,  who  was 
out  of  a  job  and  had  nothing  else  to  do,  pronounced 
his  effort  a  great  blunder  and  a  flat  failure. 

Superintendent  Smith,  however,  wrote  him  a  nice 
letter,  saying  that  he  had  done  something  quite  right, 
and  that  he  was  going  to  copy  his  idea  the  next  year. 
He  wanted  to  meet  him  and  discuss  ways  and  means. 

This  greatly  encouraged  Silas,  and  he  began  to  plan 
for  his  next  year's  work. 

At  the  summer  institute  Superintendent  Cobb  made 
a  good  impression.  There  he  almost  destroyed  the  last 
vestige  of  influence  Professor  Littleman  had.  Not  by 
making  war  on  the  Prof essor,  but  by  treating  everybody 
in  such  a  whole-souled  manner  that  this  result  was  in- 
evitable. He  almost  broke  the  Professor's  opposition, 
also,  by  showing  him  marked  attention.  The  Profes- 
sor had  called  at  the  institute,  not  to  attend,  but  to  put 
another  nail  or  so  into  Silas's  coffin,  while  he  incident- 
ally visited  with  the  teachers.  "He  was  a  sly  dog,"  as 
old  Henry  Boggs  once  remarked.  But  the  Professor 
was  disarmed  as  soon  as  he  crossed  the  threshold  of  the 
building.  Silas  met  him  at  the  door  and  greeted  him 
warmly;  took  him  from  class  to  class,  asked  his  opin- 
ion about  this  and  that,  and  wound  up  by  asking  him 
to  make  a  speech'  to  the  assembled  teachers.  He  con- 
sented to  do  this.  He  was  very  fond  of  his  own 
speeches,  and  thought  he  always  did  well. 

While  he  was  being  shown  around,  the  teachers  were 
taking  in  the  situation.  They  remembered  how  Silas 
had  been  compelled  to  leave  the  Professor's  class  the 
year  before  on  account  of  being  repeatedly  insulted. 
They  now  saw  him  cordially  treated  by  Mr.  Cobb,  and 
requested  to  talk  to  the  teachers. 

While  Mr.  Cobb  was  making  an  announcement  from 


82  SILAS  COBB 

the  platform,  Miss  Josephine  Alger  whispered  across 
the  aisle  to  Miss  Bender,  "Say,  how  do  you  think  the 
Professor  feels  now?  Don't  you  think  the  coals  will 
burn  him?"  "No,"  snapped  Miss  Bender,  "nothing 
there  to  burn."  Then  they  both  giggled,  and  the  Pro- 
fessor got  up  and  made  them  all  tii-ed  with  his  empty 
words.  That  day  he  lost  his  power  over  even  a  small 
minority  of  teachers,  and  Silas  Cobb  rose  correspond- 
ingly higher  in  their  estimation. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

SOME  three  weeks  before  the  institute  began,  Miss 
Julia  Howe  called  for  the  third  time  on  Silas  at 
his  office.  Her  former  calls  had  been  social  ones, 
devoted  entirely  to  an  effort  to  become  "solid  with  the 
office,"  "get  a  stand  in."  Silas  understood  it  all  and 
watched  the  play  with  much  interest.  He  had  his  mind 
made  up  to  one  thing,  and  that  happened  to  be  adverse 
to  giving  any  favors  to  Miss  Howe.  He  remembered 
that  she  had  not  been  present  at  a  single  teachers'  meet- 
ing since  he  came  into  office,  and  had  not,  apparently, 
even  given  the  matter  a  thought. 

On  the  morning  of  this  third  visit  she  came  flutter- 
ing into  the  office,  smiling  and  happy,  and  extended 
her  pretty,  soft  hands  to  Silas.  It  was  a  heart-warming 
trick  of  hers  to  always  extend  both  her  hands,  and  this 
morning  she  placed  one  in  each  of  Silas'  strong  muscu- 
lar palms,  and  gave  them  a  hearty,  lingering  squeeze. 
It  was  such  a  warm,  cordial  greeting,  so  full  of  life, 
health  and  happiness,  that  Silas  felt  it  quivering  through 
every  nerve. 

"Why,  good-morning,  Julia.  You  come  fluttering 
in  here  like  a  ray  of  sunshine,  happy  as  a  bird.  Are 
you  always  happy?  Do  you  never  have  a  serioug 
thought?" 

"Never,  Silas.  In  my  whole  life  I  don't  remember 
ever  having  the  blues,  and  as  to  serious  thoughts,  I 
hope  I  won't  get  them  too  soon.  I  want  to  always 
remain  young  and  pretty.  There,  now,  listen  to  that; 
assuming  that  I  am  pretty.  Why  don't  you  tell  me  I 
am,  now?  Didn't  I  fix  up  my  hair,  and  wear  all  this 


84 


SILAS  COBB 


pretty  toggery  to-day  j  ust  to   make  my  old  playfellow 
say  I  was  just  perfect?"     she  said,  laughing. 

She  paused  and  waited  for  Silas    to  finish  his  survey 
of  her  hat  and  hair,  and  finally,  with  a  smile  he  answer- 


"That  day  you  had  on  an  old  straw  hat." 

ed:  "I  will  tell  you  one  thing,  Julia,  it  is  a  vast 
improvement  over  the  toggery  you  had  on  that  day, 
fourteen  years  ago,  when  you  and  I  ran  away  and  went 
to  your  Grandma  Owen's  to  get  some  sweet  apples. 
That  day  you  had  on  an  old  straw  hat  you  picked  up  in 


SILAS  COBB  85 

the  wood-shed.  It  must  have  belonged  to  the  hired 
man  some  time  in  the  past.  You  didn't  dare  to  go  in 
after  your  own,  you  know.  Then  as  to  dress,  I  think 
you  just  had  a  little  slip  of  a  dress  of  some  kind  on 
that  reached  to  your  knees.  Beyond  that,  that  is, 
below  that,  you  were  not  dressed  at  all.  Neither  was  I, 
for  that  matter.  So,  viewing  your  costume  in  the  light 
of  those  childhood  days,  I  should  consider  you  elegantly 
dressed.  But  as  to  your  being  pretty,  that  I  should 
not  dare  to  pass  upon  in  an  official  capacity.  That  is 
not  stipulated  as  a  requirement.  But  I  will  say  this 
much:  I  see  no  improvement  now  as  compared  with 
your  looks  in  those  days."  He  smiled  at  his  roundabout 
compliment  of  her  youth  and  waited  for  her  reply.  She 
looked  rather  puzzled  and  asked:  "You  liked  me  bet- 
ter then  with  all  those  old  rags  on  than  you  do  now 
when  I  am  decently  dressed?" 

"Yes.  I  really  liked  you  better  then,  Julia, 
because  you  had  so  many  little  ways  that  you  have  out- 
grown now,  and  you  have  acquired  so  many  new  man- 
ners, I  can  scarcely  recall  the  old  impression  of  you 
when  you  are  in  my  presence.  When  you  are  not  here 
I  never  think  of  you  as  you  are  to-day,  but  as  you 
were  then." 

"Silas,  it  must  be  that  slip  of  a  dress  you  speak  of 
that  I  have  outgrown,  isn't  it?  But  after  all,  I  remem- 
ber that  day  very  vividly.  You  had  on  an  old  cap,  and 
your  face  was  dirty.  You  came  across  the  meadow 
back  of  our  barn,  on  the  run,  and  peeped  through  the 
bars  by  our  wood-shed,  and  called  to  me  breathlessly, 
'Oh,  Julia,  come  on,  quick,  and  let's  go  to  your  grand- 
ma's and  get  some  of  them  sweet  apples.  Hurry,  I've 
runned  off,  and  papa  might  see  me.'  I  was  playing  in 
the  wood-shed  with  my  dolls,  and  had  no  hat.  When 


86 


SILAS  COBB 


I  started  in  to  get  one,  you  protested  vigorously. 
'Your  mamma  wouldn't  let  you  come,  Julia;  don't  you 
go  in;  get  that  old  straw  hat  and  come  quick.'  With 
that  I  grabbed  the  old  hat,  and  you  actually  pulled  me 


"And  peeped  throuyh  the  bars  by  our  wood-stied." 

through  between  those  bars,  when  a  gentleman  would 
have  pulled  them  down.  Then  you  kept  hold  of  my 
hand  and  we  just  heeled  it  over  the  meadow,  along  the 
fence,  till  we  came  to  your  father's  cornfield,  then  you 
crawled  through  a  big  crack  between  the  rails  and 
pulled  me  through  after  you.  And  right  there,  Silas 


SILAS  COBB 

Cobb,  you  did  an  ungentlemanly  trick;  you  kissed  me 
when  I  stepped  on  a  brier  and  cried.  Then  we  heeled 
it  again  down  along  the  corn  rows  till  I  couldn't  stand 
it  any  longer.  There  was  a  brier  in  my  big  toe.  We 
stopped  under  an  old  bellflower  apple-tree  and  sat  down. 
You  undertook  to  get  the  brier  out  of  my  toe. 


"  IVcjuat  Jieeled  it  over  the  meadow." 

I  was  crying.  Your  fingers  were  all  thumbs.  You  got 
out  an  old  brokeu-bladed  knife  and  began.  I  never 
suffered  so  in  my  life,  but  you  butchered  away  at  that 
toe  until  you  just  about  cut  it  off.  You  finally  got  the 
brier  out,  and  in  order  to  soothe  my  wounded  spirit 


88 


SILAS  COBB 


and  toe,  you  climbed  the  old  bellflower  and  got  me  a 
lapful  of  green  apples.  Then  you  got  some  silks  off  the 
young  corn  and  gathered  some  clover  blossoms  along 
the  fence  row  for  my  old  straw  hat.  Then  we  went  to 
grandma's  orchard  and  got  all  the  sweet  apples  we 
could  eat,  and  grandma  didn't  know  we  had  run  off. 


"Butchered  away  at  that  toe." 

When  we  got  home  I  was  locked  up  in  the  bed-room  for 
a  whole  hour  for  it,  and  you,  Silas  Cobb,  got  a  licking, 
as  you  justly  deserved,  for  running  off  with  a  young 
lady  who  didn't  know  any  better." 

At  this  reminiscence  Silas  laughed  heartily.     He  re- 


SILAS  COBB 

raembered  it  all  just  as  she  had  related  it,  and  though 
it  had  almost  been  forgotten,  it  only  needed  the  telling 
to  bring  it  all  clearly  before  him.  By  drawing  aside 
the  curtaiu  that  hid  this  little  bit  of  childhood  drama, 
Silas'  mood  had  been  considerably  softened. 

"Julia,"  he  said,  "you  have  a  good  memory,  and  can 
tell  a  delightful  story.  If  you  would  use  that  power 
in  the  schoolroom,  you  could  teach  some  wonderful 
truths  to  the  pupils  while  they  listened  to  you  spell- 
bound." 

"I  don't  know  about  the  story  business,  Silas,  but  I 
do  have  a  good  memory,  and  do  not  forget  my  old 
playmates  if  they  do  forget  me,"  she  replied  with  a 
laugh. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

BY  the  way,  Mr.  Cobb,"  said  Julia,  "before  I  for- 
get it  I  want  to  ask  you  a  question.  Do  we  all 
have  to  attend  the  institute  this  year,  and  take 
the  examination?" 

"Yes,"  he  said,  "I  have  decided  to  make  a  full  ex- 
amination test  of  all  the  teachers  this  year.  After  that 
I  shall  be  guided  by  their  professional  conduct,  largely. 
But  this  year  I  want  to  issue  new  certificates  on  my 
own  grades,  and  put  everybody  on  an  even  footing." 

''Well,  I  am  awfully  afraid  I  can't  pass  a  first  grade 
examination,  on  account  of  not  having  done  any  work 
in  the  higher  branches  for  some  time.  If  you  make 
your  test  hard,  I  shall  fail,  I  know." 

She  said  this  in  such  a  frank  and  sincere  manner  that 
Silas  was  quite  a  little  affected  by  it.  Then  he  remem- 
bered she  had  not  attended  a  single  teachers'  meeting 
during  the  year,  and  the  thought  of  it  provoked  him 
very  much. 

"Now,  Julia,  you  claim  not  to  be  able  to  pass  this 
examination.  You  knew  this  long  ago.  Yet  all  year 
you  have  not  attended  a  single  teachers'  meeting,  and, 
if  I  am  not  mistaken,  you  called  to-day  to  get  an  excuse 
from  attending  the  institute.  Am  I  not  right?" 

"Yes  sir,  I  did,  but—" 

"Well,  wait  a  moment,  Julia;  I  want  to  tell  you 
that  I  would  like  to  favor  you  very  much,  for  old 
friendship's  sake  if  nothing  else,  but  you  have  not  done 
your  duty  and  I  just  can't  show  you  any  favors  that 
I  do  not  show  my  best  teachers.  It  wouldn't  be  treat- 
ing them  right,  nor  would  it  be  treating  you  right  either. " 

Julia  looked  at  him  for  a  moment  in  a  manner  indi- 


SILAS  COBB  91 

eating  that  her  feelings  had  been  deeply  wounded,  and 
she  didn't  know  what  to  say  next.  It  was  rather 
against  her  pride  to  have  things  told  to  her  in  that  way. 
No  other  superintendent  (and  she  had  taught  in  three 
counties)  had  ever  spoken  that  way.  Why  should  he 
do  it  of  all  others — the  man  she  had  played  with  as  a 
child?  He  ought  to  be  good  to  her  and  make  her  work 
as  easy  as  possible.  Silas  was  looking  steadily  at  her. 
His  countenance  was  even  solicitous  and  anxious. 

"Julia,  I  shall  expect  you  to  attend  the  institute  and 
take  the  examination,  and  I  warn  you  now  that  you 
will  get  the  same  treatment  other  teachers  get." 

"Well,  what  kind  of  treatment  do  you  think  I  want? 
I  can  take  your  examination  if  I  have  to,  and  I  will 
too,  so  there,  now.  Nobody  ever  treated  me  so  cruelly 
before." 

Then  she  cried,  just  as  did  she  when  she  got  the 
brier  in  her  foot  long  ago. 

Silas  was  still  and  thoughtful  while  she  was  crying. 
He  was  wondering  if  he  were  not  too  hard  on  her,  and 
was  half  inclined  to  weaken  a  little,  when  he  remem- 
bered old  Henry  Boggs'  last  advice:  "There's  a  weed 
I  f ergot  t'  tell  ye  uv,  Si,  that  grows  in  next  t'  the  corn. 
It  has  a  leaf  'bout  like  the  corn,  an'  many  people  go  on 
cultivatin'  it  an'  never  know  the  diffrunce  till  shuckin' 
time."  When  these  homely  words  rang  through  his 
mind,  he  stiffened  up  at  once.  "How  like  this  weed 
she  is,"  he  thought.  "Many  superintendents  have 
mistaken  her  for  a  real  teacher,  and  have  gone  on 
encouraging  her  in  her  weakness  for  years."  At  last 
he  said: 

"Julia,  I  want  to  help  you  get  rid  of  some  very 
bad  habits.  You  have  been  able  to  make  your  way 
along  through  the  profession  so  far  by  diplomacy. 


92  SILAS  COBB 

You  are,  from  what  I  can  judge,  looking  on  the  sur- 
face, entirely  lacking  in  seriousness.  I  doubt  if  you 
care  a  straw  whether  your  pupils  advance  or  not.  My 
opinion  is  you  do  not  read  or  study  along  the  lines  of 
your  work.  You  have  been  able  to  get  what  you 
wanted  from  the  superintendents  and  school  boards 
without  working  for  it.  It  has  crippled  you,  probably 
for  life,  but  you  might  be  able  to  make  up  a  great 
deal  of  the  lost  opportunities  by  close  application  from 
now  on.  I  am  willing  to  help  you  if  you  will  only 
help  yourself." 

Her  eyes  snapped  fire.  She  looked  at  him  in  such 
anger  that  Silas  was  shocked.  He  had  never  seen  any- 
thing of  the  kind  in  her  nature  before.  She  had  never 
met  a  man  in  all  her  life  that  she  could  not  manage  as 
she  saw  fit,  and  get  anything  she  desired.  She  had 
gotten  so  used  to  that  sort  of  a  program  that  she  was 
no  less  surprised  than  Silas  was,  but  on  a  different 
point,  however.  It  angered  her  beyond  control,  and 
before  she  had  reflected  on  the  result  of  such  a  display 
of  temper,  she  had  said  some  very  hateful  things. 

"Silas  Cobb,  you  may  think  it  your  duty  to  perse- 
cute a  poor  girl  like  me  who  has  to  make  her  living  in 
the  world,  but  it  is  too  contemptible  for  me  to  stand 
without  losing  my  temper.  No  one  ever  treated  me  so 
shamefully  before." 

Another  burst  of  crying  followed  this.  Silas  got  up 
and  left  her  sitting  where  she  was,  weeping,  and  went 
out  into  his  public  office,  closing  the  door  after  him. 
He  was  greatly  wrought  up  over  the  matter.  He  won- 
dered what  Superintendent  Smith  would  do  with  a  case 
like  that.  Should  he  try  to  break  her  ugly  spirit  and 
attempt  to  make  a  teacher  of  her,  or  should  he  dismiss 
her  at  once?  It  was  a  serious  question.  He  remem- 


SILAS  COBB  93 

bered  all  those  childhood  days  he  had  spent  with  her, 
and  that  seemed  to  furnish  a  good  reason  why  he  ought 
to  put  up  with  a  great  deal,  if  in  the  end  he  could 
only  get  her  started  right.  She  had  been  unfortunate 
in  being  born  with  a  beautiful  face  and  form;  too  beau- 
tiful, probably,  for  the  capacity  of  the  mind  that  came 
with  it.  These  things  should  be  considered. 

While  Silas  was  meditating  on  the  subject,  she  open- 
ed the  private  office  door,  came  out,  and  walked  out  of 
the  front  door  without  looking  at  him.  She  slammed 
the  door  after  her,  and  it  seemed  to  Silas  as  though  his 
heart  was  between  the  door  and  the  jamb  and  received 
the  blow.  He  had  not  yet  got  hardened  to  scenes  like 
this  and,  as  he  reflected  over  it  later,  he  heartily 
wished  himself  back  teaching  school  in  No.  8,  away 
from  all  this  strife  and  trouble. 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

SILAS  had  hardly  gotten  the  desk  dusted  and  papers 
rearranged  on  the  desk  in  his  private  office  the 
next  morning,  when  there  came  a  timid  rap  on 
the  door. 

"Come  in,"  he  called  out. 

The  door  opened,  and,  in  a  hesitating  and  humiliated 
manner,  Julia  Howe  appeared  on  the  threshold. 

"Come  in,  Julia,  how  are  you  to-day?" 

She  never  spoke,  but  with  a  flushed,  troubled  coun- 
tenance and  trembling  lips,  she  came  up  to  him  and 
took  the  hand  he  offered  her.  She  dropped  into  a  chair 
at  the  corner  of  the  table  as  she  took  his  hand,  and 
without  releasing  it,  she  pillowed  her  face  in  her  arm 
on  the  table  and,  between  hysterical  sobs,  asked  him 
to  forgive  her  for  her  unlady-like  conduct  the  day  be- 
fore. 

Silas  was  getting  decidedly  nervous.  If  some  one 
should  happen  to  come  into  the  outer  office  and  hear 
that  hysterical  sobbing,  it  would  be  rather  embarrass- 
ing. He  must  get  her  quieted. 

"That's  all  right,  Julia.  I  like  the  manner  in  which 
you  conduct  yourself  this  morning — only  don't  cry  that 
way.  Some  one  will  hear  you.  I  appreciate  the  spirit 
you  display  in  the  matter,  and  I  am  very  glad  to  forgive 
you.  Come  now,  dry  those  eyes  quickly;"  and,  as  he 
talked,  he  was  stroking  her  black,  wavy  hair  with  his 
free  hand,  the  other  still  being  clutched  between  hers. 
"Do  hush!  There  is  some  one  coming  up  the  stairs 
now." 

In  a  broken  voice  she  said,  "I  will,"  and  began  wip- 
ing her  tear-stained  face;  "only  believe  that  I  am  very 


SILAS  COBB  95 

sorry  for  what  I  did — more  than  I  can  ever  tell  you.  I 
don't  know  what  I  can  do  to  atone  for  it." 

"That's  all  right,  Julia.  You  are  going  to  atone  for 
it  for  your  own  sake,  by  being  a  good  girl  and  doing 
your  duty  always,  and  with  a  happy  heart."  He 
covered  both  of  her  hands  in  his  and  added,  "I  can 
trust  you  now,  Julia.  Don't  evade  anything  you  think 
you  ought  to  do.  It  only  makes  you  weaker.  Excuse 
me  a  few  minutes  please,"  and  as  the  outside  door 
opened,  he  entered  his  public  office,  somewhat  flushed 
from  his  interview,  to  find  himself  face  to  face  with 
Clay  Green,  a  simpering  gossip,  who  conducted  a  cigar 
stand  down  on  the  square. 

Grinning  idiotically,  he  called  out  in  his  whimpering 
tone  of  voice,  "Howdy,  Silas?  I  jest  run  in  t'  see  how 
you're  gittin'  along." 

"I  am  getting  along  very  nicely,  sir,"  replied  Silas. 
"How  are  your  affairs  to-day,  Mr.  Green?" 

"Oh,  I  am  doin'  fairly  well,  I  reckon.  Don't  have 
callers  so  very  early  in  my  line.  'Spose  you  ain't  havin' 
callers  this  early  either,  air  you,  Silas,  or  air  you  alone 
now?" 

"No,  I  am  not  alone.  One  of  my  teachers  is  now 
waiting  for  me  in  my  private  office.  Is  there  anything 
I  can  do  for  you,  Mr.  Green?" 

"No,  uothin'  't  all.  Jest  called  in  t'  see  you  a  min- 
ute on  a  friendly  visit,  that's  all.  Don't  lemme  keep 
you  from  your  company,  Silas." 

He  left  the  room,  grinning  and  winking,  hisdried-up 
face  looking  much  like  a  withered  apple. 

From  the  other  side  of  the  door  Julia  heard  every 
word,  and  understood  its  purport.  She  knew  Clay 
Green  to  be  a  dirty  old  gossip  who  spent  his  time  mostly 
in  meddling  in  other  people's  affairs.  She  knew  he 


96  SILAS  COBB 

came  over  there  on  purpose  to  see  if  he  could  get  a  clue 
on  which  to  start  a  new  scandal.  He  doted  on  such 
things.  Silas  understood  him  also,  and  knew  the  object 
of  his  visit.  He  felt  a  pity  for  him  rather  than  anger. 
This  feeling  is  only  possible  to  those  who  have  a  great 
deal  of  charity  for  the  weakness  of  humanity. 

Julia  came  out  now  ready  for  the  street,  and  there 
seemed  to  be  a  new  light  in  her  face.  The  lines  around 
her  mouth  had  taken  a  new  expression,  and  she  seemed 
less  troubled  about  the  future. 

"Good-by,  Julia.  Come  up  often  to  see  me,  and  ask 
me  for  assistance  whenever  you  need  it." 

"Good-bye,  Silas,  and  thank  you  for  your  offer." 

"There,"  he  thought,  as  he  sat  down;  "five  months 
in  office,  and  half  ruined  already.  That  fool  Green 
will  scatter  all  sorts  of  reports  about  this  matter.  She 
has  been  up  here  four  times,  and  I'll  wager  he  knows 
the  date  and  hour  of  each  visit,  and  the  length  of  time 
spent  in  the  office." 

That  afternoon  Henry  Boggs  dropped  in  to  see  how 
he  was  getting  along. 

"Well,  how's  the  weeds  comin',  Si?  Air  there  as 
many  as  they  wuz  at  the  beginnin'?" 

"More,  Mr.  Boggs." 

"Pshaw!  Ye  don't  say.  Tell  me,  Silas,  is  that 
there  new  weed  I  brung  into  existence  specially  fer  yer 
benefit,  got  int'  the  corn  right  smart  aready?" 

"That  is  it  exactly,  Mr.  Boggs.  The  trouble  is 
on  now." 

Then  he  told  Mr.  Boggs  in  detail  the  whole  story. 
The  old  man  listened  with  great  interest  and  with  many 
an  exclamation  of  "Sufferin'  Moses,"  etc.,  to  the  end. 
When  the  narrative  was  finished,  the  old  gentleman 
looked  very  thoughtful,  and  then  a  smiled  played  over 


SILAS  COBB  97 

his  rough  features  as  he  remarked:  "Ye  did  mighty 
well,  Silas.  Uv  course,  though,  ef  it'd  been  the  old 
man,  guess  he'd  let  the  gal  had  her  way  'thout 
protest.  Couldn't  never  stand  tears.  He'd  jest  remain- 
ed nootral  an'  let  things  take  their  course."  Then  he 
laughed  heartily,  and  Silas  joined  him.  It  wasn't 
often  the  old  man  joked,  and  when  he  did  it  seemed 
worth  a  laugh. 

This  brings  the  events  down  to  the  institute  hereto- 
fore mentioned.  Julia  Howe  had  not  called  again  at 
the  office,  and  Silas  had  not  seen  her  until  the  day  the 
institute  convened  when  she  registered.  Her  name  was 
the  first  recorded  and  Silas  was  greatly  pleased.  He 
felt  the  war  was  over. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

THE  institute  was  one  of  those  old-fashioned,  one- 
week,  "one-horse"  affairs.  Just  such  institutes 
had  been  held  there  for  thirty  years.  Nothing  ot 
value  outside  of  the  social  and  professional  character 
was  given.  The  teachers  attended  them  in  a  sort  of 
perfunctory  manner  and  because  it  pleased  the  county 
superintendent.  They  did  not  expect  to  learn  anything. 
Why  should  they?  Every  year  two  or  three  professors 
of  note,  who  had  made  a  reputation  for  being  good 
story  tellers,  had  been  employed.  These  men  were 
able  to  keep  them  from  going  to  sleep,  and  that  means 
that  they  were  good  entertainers.  Teachers  were  never 
expected  to  recite  or  offer  any  opinions,  so  there  was  no 
excitement  of  brain  cells  and  very  little  mental  growth. 
Each  professor  would  stand  before  his  class  and  talk 
for  forty  minutes.  They  had  always  done  that  way. 
Some  of  the  teachers  having  sensitive  minds  received  a 
few  stray  thoughts  now  and  then  and  stored  them 
away,  but  the  great  mass  of  teachers  were  not  impress- 
ed. Superintendent  Ed  Smith  declared  that  the  aver- 
age mind  was  of  such  a  nature  that  it  resisted  thoughts, 
and  the  only  way  to  get  them  in  was  to  drive  them  in, 
as  with  a  hammer.  Silas  Cobb  held  just  about  as  poor 
an  institute  that  year  as  any  in  southern  Illinois.  The 
only  splendid  feature  of  the  whole  thing  was  Silas 
Cobb  himself.  Unlike  many  other  superintendents  in 
the  state,  he  pronounced  his  work  very  poor.  He 
understood  that  little  good  was  done.  He  found  on 
examination  of  the  manuscripts  that  three-fourths  of  his 
teachers  actually  didn't  understand  the  rudiments  of 
the  common  branches.  Instead  of  presenting  these 


SILAS  COBB 

subjects  to  the  teachers  with  the  best  known  methods, 
he  had  employed  lecturers  who  talked  about  the  prin- 
ciples and  philosophy  of  education  and  kindred  sub- 
jects. As  soon  as  he  found  what  the  actual  condition 
of  his  teaching  force  was,  he  set  about  to  find  some 
way  of  improving  it.  He  concluded  that  the  only  way 
to  relieve  the  condition  was  to  either  reject  fully  three- 
fourths  of  the  present  force  and  replace  them  with  ca- 
pable, well-educated  teachers,  or  else  work  up  to  a 
higher  plane  the  material  he  had.  He  found  it  would 
be  almost  impossible  to  get  teachers  in  other  localities 
to  come  to  Brush  county,  on  account  of  the  low  wages 
paid,  and  if  he  cut  out  the  weak  three-fourths  he  would 
not  have  enough  teachers  to  fill  his  schools.  His  delib- 
eration over  the  matter  resulted  in  his  appointing  the 
last  afternoon  of  the  institute  for  the  organization  of 
the  county  teachers'  association.  Before  the  day  the 
association  was  to  meet  arrived,  he  selected  a  local 
manager  for  each  of  the  ten  local  divisions  into  which 
he  had  divided  his  county.  He  was  very  careful  in 
selecting  these  local  managers,  because  he  wanted  to 
get  teachers  who  would  not  only  make  good  leaders, 
but  good  teachers  as  well.  They  should  be  able  to 
teach  a  class  of  fellow  teachers  in  the  most  approved 
manner.  He  then  arranged  a  program  for  the  year's 
work  on  the  common  branches.  The  teachers  must 
know  more  about  the  subject  matter.  He  took  up  the 
principal  features  of  each  subject  in  outline,  and  the 
local  managers  were  to  take  charge  of  the  teachers  and 
teach  the  subject,  not  as  the  teachers  had  been  teaching 
it,  but  as  it  ought  to  be  taught.  By  this  method,  the 
subject  matter  as  well  as  the  method  would  be  pre- 
sented, and  teachers  who  had  been  floundering  along 
with  poor  success,  would  begin  to  understand  why  it 
had  been  poor.  Teachers  can't  teach  successfully  what 
they  only  half  understand. 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

THE  local  associations  were  organized  on  these 
lines,  simply  because  Silas  Cobb  forced  the  mat- 
ter through  by  the  strong  position  he  took  on 
the  subject.  When  he  laid  his  plans  before  the  teach- 
ers, he  was  surprised  to  find  no  enthusiasm  over  it. 
There  were  several  who  even  dared  oppose  it.  One 
teacher,  who  had  the  appearance  of  having  kept  school 
for  a  great  many  years,  got  up,  and,  in  an  important 
manner,  wanted  to  know  if  the  superintendent  expected 
men  like  him,  who  had  taught  school  before  he  was 
born,  to  go  back  to  the  a  b  c's  again,  and  besides  that, 
he  did  not  think  it  right  to  expect  teachers  to  take  the 
time  on  Saturday  that  belonged  to  them  to  attend  a 
teachers'  meeting.  For  his  own  part,  Saturdays  were 
his  busy  days,  and  he  had  not  attended  the  meetings 
held  last  year,  and  he  didn't  think  he  could  attend  this 
year.  He  didn't  approve  of  the  plan  anyway. 

Silas  asked:  "Are  there  others  who  wish  to  express 
themselves?  We  want  to  have  all  who  object  to  this 
plan  of  action  to  say  so  now  before  we  begin." 

This  encouraged  a  few  other  old  fossils  to  protest 
against  the  monthly  meetings.  Most  of  them  agreed 
with  the  former  speaker.  They  had  taught  too  long  to 
be  required  to  attend  these  meetings  every  month. 
Might  be  all  right  for  the  young  teachers,  but  for  the 
old  ones,  never.  But  there  were  still  many  others  who 
agreed  with  the  superintendent  that  they  needed  these 
meetings,  this  monthly  contact,  to  keep  up  with  the 
times  and  improve  themselves. 

When  every  one  was  through  talking,  Silag  Cobb 


SILAS  COBB  101 

took  occasion  to  make  his  position  clear  to  them  beyond 
the  shadow  of  a  doubt. 

"Teachers,"  he  said,  "I  am  going  to  try  to  tell  you 
just  what  my  intentions  are  for  the  coming  year.  I 
want  you  to  know  first,  before  I  go  into  detail,  that  I 
am  very  much  interested  in  your  welfare  as  well  as  that 
of  the  schools.  As  a  private  individual  I  am  always 
anxious  to  help  you  whenever  I  possibly  can,  and  as  a 
public  officer  I  hope  always  to  do  my  exact  duty  by 
you.  I  have  fully  decided  in  my  own  mind  that  the 
plans  I  have  laid  before  you  are  good — the  best  I  know 
of,  at  least.  I  have  received  your  opinions  on  the  sub- 
ject in  a  very  frank  manner.  There  are  many  of  you 
who  favor  this  course;  there  are  others  who  oppose  it. 
You  have  given  your  reasons  why.  The  sum  of  your 
objections  have  been,  'I  can't  spare  the  time,  and  I 
don't  need  to  go  back  to  my  a  b  c's. 

"After  hearing  these  objections,  I  am  still  of  the 
opinion  I  am  right.  The  reason  I  have  not  changed, 
perhaps,  is  because  several  of  the  gentlemen  who  have 
protested  against  going  back  to  their  a  b  c's,  as  they  term 
this  review  of  the  common  branches,  are  holding  their 
certificates,  or  will  hold  them,  by  virtue  of  my  lenien- 
cy and  hopefulness  that  before  the  year  is  up  they  will 
be  able  to  pass  a  creditable  examination.  You  would  be 
surprised,  teachers,  to  know  that  seventy-five  per  cent 
of  you  could  justly  be  refused  a  certificate,  and  the  only 
reason  I  will  not  refuse  you  is  the  fact  that  I  have  de- 
cided I  can  get  you  in  the  way  of  earning  your  certifi- 
cates through  these  teachers'  meetings.  Now,  person- 
ally, it  makes  no  difference  to  me  whether  you  earn  your 
certificates,  or  whether  I  drop  you  from  the  roll  by  re- 
fusing to  grant  them  on  the  poor  work  shown  by  your 
manuscripts,  except  as  a  matter  of  feeling.  I  would 


102  SILAS  COBB 

rather  see  you  help  yourselves  to  do  better.  I  do  my 
part  by  offering  you  this  study  and  instruction  through- 
out the  year.  Some  of  us  make  quite  an  ado  about 
Saturdays  being  the  only  days  we  have  to  ourselves, 
and  it  ought  not  to  be  consumed  in  attending  teachers' 
meetings;  not  even  three  hours  on  one  Saturday  out  of 
the  four  we  have  in  each  school  month.  I  do  not  have 
Saturdays  to  myself;  neither  does  any  other  professional 
man, except  those  engaged  in  teaching.  Clerks, lawyers, 
doctors,  mechanics  and  laborers,  all  work  from  early 
morning  till  late  in  the  day,  six  days  in  the  week.  They 
would  delight  in  a  day's  work  that  began  at  nine 
o'clock  and  closed  at  four  p.  M.,and  have  three  and  one- 
half  Saturdays  thrown  in  for  good  measure.  Yet  some 
of  you  get  up  here  and  complain  of  the  extra  three 
hours'  work  a  month  called  for  in  this  plan.  Not  only 
do  you  have  all  the  spare  time  mentioned,  but  fully 
half  of  your  number  do  not  use  even  a  fraction  of  it  to 
improve  yourselves.  You  do  not  take  a  newspaper,  or 
read  a  current  book.  Some  of  you  have  taught  fifteen 
years  in  this  county,  and  had  all  this  spare  time  to 
yourselves,  and  yet  are  not  to  this  day  able  to  pass  a 
satisfactory  eighth  grade  examination.  I  tell  you  now 
that  no  such  conditions  will  be  tolerated  another  year. 
I  have  planned  to  wipe  it  out  in  one  year,  by  your  as- 
sistance, and  at  the  end  of  that  time  it  will  be  erased, 
either  by  your  own  acts,  or  by  a  stroke  of  the  pen  in 
the  county  superintendent's  office.  The  rules  must  be 
obeyed.  You  have  fair  warning. 

1  'We  have  been  accustomed  to  doing  just  what  we 
pleased  in  the  past  about  such  matters,  and  I  believe 
some  of  us  have  not  done  well  as  a  result  of  it.  I  even 
notice  that  some  of  you  talk  as  though  you  did  not  care 
much  what  course  the  superintendent  pursued;  it  would 


SILAS  COBB  103 

not  affect  you  in  the  least,  as  you  would  act  as  you  saw 
fit.  It  is  true  that  you  get  that  impression  honestly 
from  your  experiences  in  the  past,  but  I  want  to  treat 
you  all  honestly,  and  give  you  full  notice  of  the  policy 
of  this  office  so  you  will  not  have  any  trouble  in  adjust- 
ing your  actions  to  the  changed  conditions.  From  this 
day  on  every  teacher  in  Brush  county  will  be  guided  in 
all  such  matters  as  attendance  at  teachers'  meetings  and 
kindred  subjects  entirely  by  the  directions  sent  out 
from  this  office.  The  teachers  of  Brush  county  will 
act  as  a  unit.  I  shall  not  be  compelled  this  year  to 
beg,  preach  to  and  encourage  teachers  to  attend  these 
meetings,  as  I  did  last  year.  The  reason  is  quickly 
given,  and  is  simply  because  I  shall  take  nothing  but 
an  absolute  acquiescence  in  all  requirements  made  of 
you.  If  there  are  any  teachers  who  think  they  will  be 
able  to  evade  their  duty,  I  shall  at  once  revoke  their 
certificates  for  insubordination.  I  adopt  this  vigorous 
policy  because  I  am  tired  of  begging  you  to  do  what 
you  ought  to  do  as  a  duty,  and  be  delighted  to  do. 

"Those  who  have  opposed  my  plans  need  not  fear 
that  I  shall  feel  any  annoyance  or  enmity  toward  them 
for  it.  I  asked  for  honest  opinions.  They  gave  me 
theirs,  and  I  thank  them  for  them.  I  want  them  to 
feel  the  same  way  about  the  matter,  and  take  hold  of 
this  work  with  me  with  a  will.  No  one  ought  to  com- 
pel me  to  use  that  authority  I  possess  to  enforce  my 
requirements. 

"As  to  the  adoption  of  this  plan  of  work,  it  is  en- 
tirely optional  with  this  meeting.  Whether  you  adopt 
it  or  not,  it  will  go  on  just  the  same,  but  it  would  please 
me  greatly  to  know  that  the  teachers  of  this  county  are 
in  accord  with  this  forward  step,  and  in  closing  I  wish 
to  say  to  you  that  I  am  doing  my  best  to  do  the  right 


104  SILAS  COBB 

thing.  I  may  make  mistakes,  but  I  am  going  to  follow 
out  my  own  convictions.  I  hope  you  will  always  take 
me  at  my  word,  and  not  depend  on  my  doing  anything 
that  is  not  consistent  with  what  I  have  said  here  to-day. 
If  you  get  into  trouble  because  you  have  ignored  the 
requirements  made  of  you,  then  don't  come  and  ask  me 
to  break  the  rules  so  you  can  escape  the  penalty.  I 
shall  not  vary  one  jot  or  tittle  from  the  printed  rules 
governing  the  conduct  of  teachers  in  relation  to  these 
monthly  meetings." 

He  sat  down.  One  of  the  most  active  teachers  got 
up  and  enthusiastically  endorsed  the  superintendent's 
position.  He  declared  that  Brush  county  was  fifty 
years  behind  the  times,  simply  because  they  had  never 
had  a  superintendent  who  had  the  courage  to  go  ahead 
and  do  what  he  thought  he  ought  to  do.  He  worked 
up  the  teachers  to  such  a  pitch  of  enthusiasm  that  even 
the  old  fossils  stood  up  when  a  rising  vote  was  called 
for,  endorsing  the  superintendent's  plans. 

Thus  a  new  leaf  was  turned,  and  Brush  county  began 
to  go  forward  with  great  bounds. 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

ALL  the  gossip  about  the  town  as  to  whether  Silas 
Cobb  would  succeed  or  fail,  had  ceased.  He 
had  passed  beyond  the  point  of  probation,  so 
far  as  the  people  were  concerned.  They  had  seen  sev- 
eral examples  of  courage  and  firmness  that  secured  for 
him  the  confidence  of  the  best  people.  The  teachers, 
too,  began  to  understand  that  they  all  stood  on  the  same 
footing.  However,  they  were  still  in  doubt  as  to  the 
position  Julia  Howe  held  in  the  estimation  of  the  su- 
perintendent. During  the  institute  there  was  consid- 
erable gossip. 

Miss  Alger  said  to  Miss  Young  one  day:  "I  see 
Miss  Julia  Howe  had  to  attend  institute  this  year  like 
the  rest  of  us." 

"Don't  you  think  it!"  was  Miss  Young's  retort. 
"Don't  you  see  how  she  is  always  hanging  around 
the  superintendent's  desk?  She  is  always  asking  him 
for  information  on  this  and  that,  and  smiling  up  in  his 
face  like  a  silly  flirt.  No  sir,  she  just  came  here  for 
no  other  reason  than  to  be  with  Mr.  Cobb.  She's  just 
struck  on  him,  and  you  mark  my  words,  she  will  get 
just  what  she  wants.  She  will  get  the  best  certificate 
and  best  school  in  the  county." 

"Why,  Miss  Young,  I  am  surprised  at  you.  That 
is  really  an  insult  to  Mr.  Cobb,  and  I  am  sure  there  can 
be  nothing  in  your  suspicions.  He  is  just  as  fair  and 
honorable  as  he  can  be,  and  you  ought  not  to  assume 
so  much  of  which  you  are  not  positive." 

"Assumption  is  it?"  began  Miss  Young.  "Well, 
you  had  better  get  posted.  Hasn't  she  been  caught  in 
the  superintendent's  office  a  dozen  times  or  more?  Tell 


106  SILAS  COBB 

me  why  she  should  go  there  so  often?  Didn't  Clay 
Green  go  up  there  one  day  and  find  her  in  the  superin- 
tendent's back  room  in  a  nice  little  chat  with  him? 
Who  knows  what  happens  in  there?  Oh,  I  know 
Julia  Howe!  She  thinks  she  is  the  only  beauty  on 
earth,  and  men  have  always  made  a  fool  of  her.  Why 
should  Si  Cobb  be  an  exception?" 

Miss  Alger,  not  very  aggressive  at  most,  and  not 
inclined  to  debate  the  subject  further,  simply  said  in 
her  kind-hearted  way:  "She  doesn't  seem  like  she  used 
to,  though,  Miss  Young.  You  know  she  has  studied 
very  hard  during  the  institute,  and  that  is  something 
she  never  did  before." 

"She  is  only  hoodwinking  Silas  Cobb,  that's  all," 
replied  Miss  Young.  '  'She  is  making  him  believe  she 
has  turned  over  a  new  leaf  and  is  going  to  try  to  do 
something  for  herself.  She  has  weighed  the  superin- 
tendent. He  has  a  soft  heart,  and  when  he  sees  her 
working  so  hard  he  will  give  her  another  year  to  work 
up  her  grades  if  she  falls  short  of  the  requirements, 
which  she  is  absolutely  sure  to  do.  Why,  she  doesn't 
know  anything  about  books,  and  yet  is  able  to  make 
people  believe  she  does.  Pshaw!  I  have  pupils  in 
my  school  in  the  seventh  grade  who  know  more  of 
arithmetic  and  grammar  than  she  does.  Whatever  she 
gets,  I  am  sure  she  will  not  earn,  even  if  it  is  the  poor- 
est second  grade  certificate." 

It  will  be  seen  from  this  conversation  that  Clay 
Green's  visit  was  sufficient  to  start  every  gossipy 
tongue  in  the  town  to  wagging. 

There  were  eighty-six  applicants  for  teachers'  certif- 
icates at  the  examination  held  just  before  the  institute 
closed,  or  rather,  before  the  day  the  county  associa- 
tion was  organized.  When  the  institute  closed,  Super- 


SILAS  COBB  107 

intendent  Cobb  went  to  work  grading  the  manuscripts. 
It  was  his  first  large  examination,  and  the  work  of 
grading  was  slow  and  tedious.  After  a  few  days' 
work  it  was  apparent  that  a  great  many  would  fail  to 
pass  a  satisfactory  grade.  One  of  the  first  manuscripts 
he  graded  was  Miss  Howe's.  He  was  very  anxious  to 
know  her  fate  at  once.  To  his  great  sorrow,  her  stand- 
ings were  on  an  average  below  fifty  per  cent,  and  he 
was  compelled  to  head  the  list  of  rejected  applicants 
with  her  name.  The  list  afterwards  grew  to  great 
length. 

Early  on  Tuesday  morning,  Julia  Howe  appeared  at 
the  threshold  of  the  superintendent's  office,  just  as  she 
had  a  few  weeks  before,  as  Silas  was  dusting  his  desk. 

"Good-morning,  Julia.  There  is  one  thing  to  your 
credit  that  I  have  noticed,  which  is  very  commendable; 
you  are  an  early  riser.  How  are  you  to-day?"  He 
reached  out  and  took  her  hand. 

"I  am  well,  thank  you,  Mr.  Cobb,  only  I  am  terribly 
nervous,  and  I  waited  just  as  long  as  I  could  before 
coming,  knowing  you  would  not  have  had  time  to  grade 
the  papers  before  this,  and  possibly  not  now,  but  I 
just  had  to  come.  You  are  not  done  with  them,  are 
you?" 

"No,  indeed,"  said  Silas.  "It  is  a  long  task  and  I 
won't  be  through  within  two  weeks." 

At  this  Julia's  countenance  fell,  and  she  looked  very 
much  disappointed. 

"But,"  added  Silas,  "I  have  marked  all  your  papers, 
Julia,  and  have  your  grades  ready  for  you.  I  was  BO 
anxious  about  it  I  marked  them  first  of  all." 

He  handed  her  the  sheet  of  paper  showing  the  results 
of  her  examination.  She  took  it  with  trembling  hands 
and  eagerly  scanned  the  list.  Her  face  grew  pale  and 


108  SILAS  COBB 

her  lips  trembled.  She  looked  up  at  Silas  and  said  in 
a  voice  scarce  above  a  whisper,  "I  have  failed,  then?" 

"It  is  true,  Julia,  and  it  hurts  me  very  much.  I  was 
exceedingly  anxious  for  you  to  pass,  since  you  have 
worked  so  earnestly  lately.  I  am  sure  if  you  could  go 
away  to  a  normal  school  for  a  term  or  so  you  would  be 
able  not  only  to  pass,  but  to  make  a  most  excellent 
teacher,  with  the  other  good  traits  of  character  you 
possess." 

There  was  a  silence  between  them.  He  was  waiting 
for  her  to  make  some  sort  of  comment,  and  she  was 
unable  to  do  so,  apparently  on  account  of  the  emotion 
she  felt.  The  color  came  back  to  her  cheeks,  and  fin- 
ally she  looked  up  at  him,  her  eyes  overflowing  with 
tears.  They  dropped,  unnoticed  by  her,  on  the  paper 
she  held  in  her  hand.  There  was  a  forced  smile  on  her 
trembling  lips  as  she  rose  from  her  seat.  She  handed 
him  back  the  paper,  already  sprinkled  with  her  tears, 
and  held  out  her  hands  to  him. 

"It  is  all  right,  Silas;  I  don't  blame  you  for  it.  I 
think  you  are  a  noble,  brave,  and  honest  man,  and  I 
admire  you.  I  may  be  able  to  do  something.  Good- 
by,  and  I  hope  you  will  remember  me  only  as  I  have 
been  these  last  few  weeks.  I  did  my  very  best,  but  I 
knew  too  little  to  begin  with.  I  couldn't  overcome  the 
obstacles  before  me  in  so  short  a  time.  Somehow  you 
have  upset  all  my  plans  and  changed  the  whole  current 
of  my  life.  Before  you  came  into  office  I  never  knew 
a  sad  moment.  I  was  at  the  top  of  everything.  I  suc- 
ceeded somehow  without  effort.  You  came  one  day 
and  I  learned  of  my  ignorance  and  folly.  For  some 
reason,  when  I  was  in  your  presence  I  felt  so  mean, 
weak,  and  silly  that  it  angered  me.  Gradually  I  got 
over  that,  as  I  realized  the  great  gap  between  us.  You 


SILAS  COBB  109 

were  everything  a  man  ought  to  be.  I  was  only  one 
thing  a  woman  ought  to  be.  God  gave  me  a  good  face 
and  form,  but  all  my  life  I  had  neglected  to  cultivate  a 
mind  to  go  with  them.  You  pointed  this  out  to  me; 
not  in  words,  but  I  felt  it.  The  thoughts  formed  in 
my  mind,  just  as  if  you  had  uttered  them,  and  now  that 
old  spirit  is  broken,  and  I  have  begun  to  see  things 
differently.  Silas,  I  may  have  been  frivolous  beyond 
reason;  I  may  have  been  over-pleasant  to  people  that 
could  help  me,  for  I  needed  the  help.  As  an  excuse 
for  it  all,  I  wish  you  to  know  that  1  have  been  at  the 
head  of  our  family  and  its  only  support  for  the  past 
four  years.  My  little  brothers  had  to  be  educated  and 
the  home  kept  up.  All  this  I  have  been  able  to  do,  in 
spite  of  my  ignorance  and  folly,  for  the  people  have 
spoiled  me  by  being  good  to  me  beyond  my  deserts. 
What  I  hope  for  is  that  I  may  leave  you  knowing  that 
I  have  regained  your  respect  and  confidence." 

She  paused  for  breath,  and  then  seemed  to  forget 
what  she  was  going  to  say,  and  a  troubled  look  came 
over  her  countenance. 

"Julia,  you  surprise  me  beyond  measure.  I  could 
not  have  believed  before  now  that  you  were  capable  of 
such  noble  thoughts  and  unbiased  judgment.  You 
seem  able  to  analyze  your  own  character  to  the  smallest 
detail.  The  spirit  you  show  me  to-day  is  worth  all  the 
wealth  of  the  world.  Give  me  your  hands  again,  Julia, 
and  let  me  congratulate  and  encourage  you.  I  admire 
you  more  than  you  can  know." 

She  stood  there  before  him,  tall,  dark,  beautiful, 
with  a  light,  soft  hand  clasped  in  each  of  his,  looking 
iuto  his  face.  The  pleasant  words  brightened  her 
countenance,  and  put  a  warmth  into  her  sparkling  eyes. 


no  SILAS  COBB 

Her  hands  closed  tightly  on  his,  and  a  warm  glow  came 
into  Silas'  cheek. 

"Good-bye,  Julia,  and  remember  I  am  always  ready 
to  do  anything  I  can  for  you." 

The  door  closed,  and  Julia's  light  footsteps  echoed 
down  the  old  cob-webbed  corridors. 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

FOR  a  long  time  Silas  sat  at  the  window,  gazing 
down  at  the  sun-baked  streets.  One  might  have 
supposed  he  was  gazing  with  interest  on  the 
human  life  stirring  below.  An  old  man  on  a  rickety  old 
wagon,  with  a  pair  of  poor  old  horses,  was  driving  by. 
He  was  barefooted,  and  costumed  in  a  pair  of  overalls, 
undershirt  and  a  straw  hat.  On  the  wagon  were  a  few 
bunches  of  splits  made  from  young  trees  and  used  in 
weaving  bottoms  in  chairs,  together  with  a  few  bushels 
of  potatoes.  He  delivered  the  potatoes  to  the  City 
Hotel,  and  re-bottomed  several  of  the  office  chairs  that 
had  worn  out.  Silas  sat  watching  the  proceedings 
across  the  street.  It  is  not  recorded  whether  he  was 
thinking  of  what  he  saw,  or  what  he  had  felt  an  hour 
before.  It  is  one  of  the  blessings  of  man  to  be  able  to 
think  without  the  world's  knowing  what  he  is  thinking 
about.  After  an  hour's  reflection,  not  feeling  capable 
of  undertaking  any  serious  task,  he  got  up,  closed  the 
office  and  went  down  to  the  hotel.  He  took  a  chair  out 
on  the  shady  side  of  the  house  and  sat  down.  Around 
the  corner  from  where  he  sat,  the  old  man  was  at  work 
bottoming  the  chairs.  Business  was  dull  with  Clay 
Green  across  the  street,  and  spying  the  old  man  at  work, 
he  walked  over  to  gossip  with  him. 

"Howdy,  Caleb?  Ye  don't  want  t'  work  too  hard  in 
the  hot  of  the  day." 

The  old  man  raised  his  head  and  spit  a  mouthful  of 
tobacco  juice  square  into  the  face  of  a  sunflower  gome 
ten  feet  away,  and  said: 

"Howdy." 

He  kept  on  working  without  another  word. 


112 


SILAS  COBB 


"How's  yer  crap  this  year,  Caleb?" 

"MiddlinV 

"What  have  ye  been  doin'  these  hot  days?" 

"Diggin'  taters." 

"Tater  crap  good?" 

"Yep." 

"How's  Mis'  Fisher?"     (That's  Caleb's  wife.) 

"MiddlinV' 


"Howdy,  Caleb?    Ye  don't  want  V  work  too  hard  in  the  hot  of 
the  day." 

"Who's  goin'  t'  teach  yer  school  this  year,    Caleb?" 

"Dunno." 

"Who  teached  it  las'  year?" 

"Julia  Howe." 

"How'd  ye  like  her?" 


SILAS  COBB  H3 

'Middlin'." 

"Did  she  behave  herself?" 

"Middlin',  I  reckon." 

"Do  ye  want  her  agin?" 

"Yep." 

"What?" 

"Yep,  I  sed  onct.     Can't  ye  hear?" 

"Hain't  heard  how  she  and  Si  Cobb's  carryin'  on  I 
reckon,  or  ye  wouldn't  want  her." 

"Carryin'  on?" 

"Yes,  carryin'  on!  Thought  ye'd  open  yer  eyes  a 
little  when  a  feller's  trying  to  give  ye  a  p'inter.  It's 
jest  skanlus,  the  way  that  gal's  goin'  t'  ruin.  She  jest 
come  down  from  Si's  office  a  while  ago,  an'  it's  not 
the  only  time,  nuther.  Why,  she's  been  a-goin'  on 
this  here  way  all  summer,  an'  everybody's  a-talkin'  about 
'em.  It's  a  downright  shame,  Caleb,  that  honest  men 
like  you  an'  me  have  to  look  on  to  sich  skanlus  acts.  I 
jest  went  up  one  morniu,'  when  she  wuz  there,  t'  see 
what  wuz  goin'  on,  an'  I  saw  'nuff  to  make  my  eyes 
bug  out,  I  tell  ye.  I  jest — "  and  then  Silas  Cobb  came 
on  the  scene. 

"You  just  lied,  didn't  you;  and  I  am  going  to  teach 
you  a  lesson  you  will  remember  to  your  last  day.  I 
will  just  take  you  by  the  nose  this  icay,  and  I  will 
just  slap  your  face  this  way.  Then  I  will  slap  it  on 
this  side.  Then  I  will  cuff  your  ears  this  way,  and  that, 
and  now  I  will  stop  long  enough  to  ask  you  whether 
you  think  you  can  refrain  from  slandering  respectable 
women?  If  not  I  will  proceed  to  cut  a  switch  and 
give  you  a  good  thrashing.  It's  the  only  way  to  reach 
a  wretch  like  you." 

All  this  time  the   culprit  was  begging   for  mercy, 
8  declaring  he  had  lied  about  him,  and  would  never  do  so 


114  SILAS  COBB 

again  if  he  would  let  him  off  this  time.  He  was  so 
frightened  he  could  scarcely  get  into  his  little  shop 
across  the  street. 

Old  Caleb  Fisher  stood  looking  on  in  silence.  When 
it  was  all  over,  Silas  turned  to  him  and  spoke: 

"How  do  you  do,  Mr.  Fisher?     I  am  very  sorry  to 


11  You  just  lied,  didn't  you,  and  I  am  going  to  teach  you  a  lesson 
you  will  remember  to  your  last  day." 

come  into  your  presence  and  disturb  your  peace  of  mind 
by  such  actions,  but  it  was  a  duty." 

The  old  man  puckered  up  his  mouth  and  fired  another 
shot  at  the  sunflower  before  he  spoke,  and  then  came 
very  near  forgetting  what  he  was  going  to  say  when  he 
saw  his  shot  went  wide  of  the  mark,  and  only  struck 


SILAS  COBB  us 

the  lower  petals  of  the  blossom.  Perhaps  Silas'  activ- 
ity had  unnerved  him  so  his  aim  was  not  true. 

"Ye  did  middlin'  well,"  he  replied. 

"I  don't  know  about  that,  Mr.  Fisher,  but  I  do  know 
that  Clay  Green  is  a  traducer  of  character.  He  wastes 
half  his  time  sitting  at  that  window  watching  the  peo- 
ple of  this  town,  and  his  dirty  mind  befouls  everything 
it  thinks  about.  The  only  thing  on  earth  that  will 
help  him  is  just  the  treatment  that  I  have  administered." 

The  old  man  went  on  bottoming  the  chairs,  now  and 
then  taking  a  shot  at  the  sunflowers  by  way  of  diver- 
sion. 

The  sun-baked  sidewalk  sent  up  little  quivers  of  heat, 
and  the  dust,  at  every  gust  of  wind,  was  sent  flying 
everywhere.  Silas  went  back  to  his  office,  and  in  the 
space  of  ten  minutes  the  scene  was  as  peaceful  and 
quiet  as  before. 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

FOR  several  days  after  the  incidents  related  in  the 
preceding  chapter,  Silas  Cobb  pored  over  exam- 
ination papers.  The  task  was  a  laborious  one, 
and  when  it  was  finished  he  felt  a  sense  of  great  relief. 
Had  he  known  what  a  storm  of  abuse  would  be  heaped 
upon  him  as  a  result  of  the  long  list  of  applicants  he 
had  marked  with  the  fatal  word  "failed,"  he  probably 
would  have  anticipated  the  future  with  considerable 
dread,  beside  which  the  sense  of  relief  from  having 
finished  the  task  of  grading  would  seem  insignificant. 

He  had  just  finished  tabulating  the  results,  and  was 
preparing  to  mail  to  each  applicant  a  report  of  her  ex- 
amination, when  Miss  Cora  Laugly  called  to  receive 
hers  in  person.  She  was  greatly  agitated,  and  very 
anxious  to  know  the  result.  Silas  greeted  her  cordially, 
and  when  she  had  stated  her  mission,  he  replied: 

"Why,  certainly;  I  will  look  over  the  list,  Miss 
Langly,  and  give  you  your  report  at  once."  He  knew 
she  had  failed,  but  it  wasn't  in  his  heart  to  tell  her  so 
outright,  knowing  how  the  blow  would  affect  her,  so 
he  hunted  among  the  loose  papers  on  his  desk  for  the 
fatal  list  that  lay  right  before  his  eyes,  and  chatted  in 
a  light  vein  as  he  looked.  Finally  he  found  it,  and 
his  face  took  on  a  serious  look,  as  if  he  were  acquiring 
new  information  that  pained  him  very  much,  and  said: 
"Miss  Langly,  I  am  very  sorry  to  report  that  you 
have  failed.  I  am  sorry,  because  it  will  be  harder  for 
you  to  bear  since  you  have  already  held  a  certificate 
and  taught  school  at  least  one  year,  and  because  you 
are  known  to  me  as  a  conscientious,  hard  worker.  But 
it  is  impossible  to  make  much  headway  in  this  great 


SILAS  COBB  m 

work  of  reviving  the  schools  unless  we  raise  the  stan- 
dard of  teachers.  Therefore,  many  of  you  will  have 
to  take  a  few  terms  at  some  good  school  and  better  fit 
yourselves  for  the  work.  When  you  have  done  that, 
come  back  to  me  and  get  your  place  among  us.  I  shall 
be  the  first  to  welcome  you  and  help  you  to  a  posi- 
tion." 

Miss  Langly,  looking  thin  and  careworn,  stared 
straight  ahead  at  the  dingy  old  wall  of  the  office,  that 
had  probably  witnessed  many  scenes  just  as  pathetic 
long  before  the  present  occupants  were  born,  and 
made  no  reply.  Silas  was  silent  also,  and  there  was 
not  a  sound  in  the  room  save  the  rattling  now  and  then 
of  crumbs  of  plaster  from  the  old  walls.  One  can't 
stare  forever  at  the  blank  wall  without  doing  or  saying 
something,  and  the  thing  Miss  Langly  did  was  very 
much  like  her  sex.  After  a  few  preliminary  twitches 
of  the  lips,  she  burst  into  tears.  That  was  all  there 
was  to  it.  To  her  it  was  tragical.  Perhaps  it  was  her 
only  means  of  a  livelihood.  Probably  she  had  others 
depending  on  her  for  bread  as  well.  To  a  man  like 
Silas  Cobb,  whose  heart  was  as  warm  as  the  south 
wind,  these  scenes  were  very  trying.  He  felt  with 
them  all  the  pain  they  suffered,  and  were  it  not  for  his 
well-grounded  sense  of  justice,  his  sympathies  would 
have  ruled  his  mind,  and  the  country  schools  would 
have  floundered  along  helplessly  another  decade  under 
the  direction  of  incompetent  teachers. 

Miss  Langly  had  barely  left  the  room  when  another 
type  of  applicant  appeared  on  the  scene.  She  came  in 
with  an  air  of  considerable  importance — as  one  who 
was  aware  of  her  power  and  the  influence  of  her 
family.  She  had  no  doubt  these  points  of  superiority 
over  such  as  Miss  Langly,  who  was  without  family 


118  SILAS  COBB 

influence,  would  be  considered  by  the  superintendent 
very  favorably. 

She  looked  amazed  when  quietly  informed  that  she 
had  failed  to  pass  a  satisfactory  examination. 

"Why,  that  is  ridiculous,  Mr.  Cobb," — and  the 
thought  of  it  made  her  angry — "why  I  know  I  have 
passed  and  you  have  not  graded  my  papers  right." 
Her  attitude  became  more  hostile,  and  finally  she  said: 
"My  father  told  me  you  were  making  a  lot  of  the 
teachers  fail,  but  he  said  if  you  cut  me  out  you  would 
be  defeated  for  a  second  term,  and  I  hope  you  will  be 
too,  so  there,  now.  You — " 

"Excuse  me,  Miss  Joy,  but  I  fear  you  have  per- 
mitted your  very  bad  temper  to  do  you  a  great  injury. 
It  will  take  a  long  time  for  you  to  undo  what  you 
have  done  within  the  last  few  minutes.  At  the  pres- 
ent time  you  are  no  more  fit  to  teach  school  than  a 
child,  no  matter  what  your  standings  on  examination 
might  be.  A  teacher  should  be,  first  of  all  things,  a 
perfect  lady.  That  means  a  great  deal.  It  will  take 
you  a  long  time  to  master  the  qualifications  requisite 
to  those  who  attempt  to  direct  the  growth  of  a  child's 
mind.  Come  back  to  me  when  you  are  ready  to  apolo- 
gize for  your  conduct,  and  I  will  show  you  your 
papers  and  point  out  your  failings  to  you.  Till  then 
I  bid  you  good-day." 

She  withdrew,  slightly  frightened,  but  still  resent- 
ful. 

A  half  hour  later  Silas  heard  heavy  footsteps  on  the 
stairs,  and  he  felt  sure  it  was  Mr.  Joy,  whom  he  well 
knew  to  have  been  one  of  his  strongest  supporters  dur- 
ing the  campaign.  It  gave  him  no  little  pain  to  know 
he  was  under  obligations  to  him,  and  was  repaying 
him  with  what  seemed  to  Mr.  Joy  the  rankest  kind  of 


SILAS  COBB 


119 


ingratitude.  But  Silas  Cobb  was  too  firm  to  be 
shaken  from  the  true  course  by  contrary  winds. 

Mr.  Joy  entered  the  office  in  a  perfect  rage.  It 
seemed  to  him,  in  his  ignorance,  that  he  had  just 
cause  for  being  in  that  condition. 

"My  gal  has  jest  told  me  you  won't  give  her  a  cer- 


"Jlfr.  Joy  entered  the  office  in  a  perfect  rage." 

tificate,  and  I  want  to  know  mighty  blamed  quick  why 
you  don't;  do  you  hear?  Didn't  I  run  all  over  the 
county  gittin'  votes  fer  you,  and  didn't  I  git  you  the 
office?  And  here  you  pay  me  fer  it  by  refusin'  my 
child  a  certificate.  The  Professor  has  issued  her  two, 


120  SILAS  COBB 

and  she  has  teached  a  year  already.  You've  jest 

simply  got  too  d smart,  Silas,  that's  the  size  of  it, 

and  I  want  to  tell  you  so  to  your  face." 

During  this  storm  of  big  talk  Silas  sat  looking  him 
in  the  eye,  as  quietly  as  if  he  were  telling  him  the  con- 
dition of  his  health.  There  was  not  a  trace  of  emotion 
in  his  face,  and  his  eyes  were  so  penetrating  that  Mr. 
Joy  began  to  feel  uncomfortable  and  to  doubt  the  jus- 
tice of  his  cause.  So  it  was  with  almost  everybody  who 
came  in  contact  with  Silas  Cobb.  To  look  in  his 
eyes  was  to  believe  him  honest  to  the  core.  Mr.  Joy 
glanced  furtively  at  Silas,  and  finished  by  saying  in  a 
conciliatory  tone  of  voice:  "Of  course,  I  may  be  mis- 
taken, Silas,  and  I  jest  come  in  to  see  you  about  it, 
knowin'  you  would  do  me  the  right  thing,  seein'  that  I 
stood  by  you  in  time  of  need." 

"Now  that  last  is  better,  Mr.  Joy,  and  I  am  glad 
that  you  feel  that  you  did  me  an  injustice  by  coming 
into  my  office  in  such  a  temper.  Your  daughter  has 
just  left  me  and  I  am  very  sorry  to  be  compelled  to  re- 
late to  you  that  she  acted  so  badly,  even  worse  than 
you  did,  that  I  could  not  issue  her  a  certificate  if  she 
made  the  top  mark  in  every  branch.  I  am  going  to 
say  to  you  frankly,  Mr.  Joy,  that  I  blame  you  for  it 
all.  You  taught  the  girl  those  ugly  ways,  and  led  her 
to  believe  that  you  owned  me,  and  that  she  would  be 
favored,  standings  or  no  standings.  You  see,  you  have 
done  the  girl  a  great  injury.  I  am  doing  my  best  for 
the  school  children  of  this  county,  and  that  means  I  am 
doing  my  best  for  your  children.  Your  daughter  made 
an  average  of  only  fifty-five  per  cent,  fully  twenty  per 
cent  short  of  the  required  standing." 

"Well,  what  difference  does  that  make,  Silas,  'tween 
you  and  me?  Ain't  we  stood  tergether  in  politics,  and 


SILAS  COBB 

why  in  blazes  can't  you  fix  her  up  a  certificate  anyhow? 
It's  jest  'tween  us  you  know." 

"That  is  true,  Mr.  Joy;  it  is  just  between  us,  and  it 
is  none  the  less  dishonest  because  you  propose  it  to  be 
between  us.  Why  should  you  ask  me  to  lower  in  your 
case  the  standard  for  the  qualification  of  teachers  which, 
as  it  is,  is  none  too  high,  and  thereby  do  an  injustice  to 
every  other  teacher  in  the  county,  and  at  the  same 
time  force  upon  the  people  a  teacher  who  is  not  compe- 
tent? You  never  think  of  asking  a  grain  dealer  to  take 
your  corn  at  forty  pounds  to  the  bushel  and  pay  you 
the  same  price  he  would  Henry  Boggs  for  his  corn  at 
fifty-six  pounds  to  the  bushel?  Of  course  you  don't, 
and  no  one  else  does.  It  is  only  with  this  office,  appar- 
ently, that  people  think  they  can  get  full  measure  for 
half  measure,  in  case  they  have  a  'pull.'  But  it  can't 
be  done  on  that  principle  while  I  am  in  office.  The 
candidate  who  cannot  fill  the  standard  measure  is  la- 
belled 'short, 'and  that  absolutely  ends  it  until  the  short- 
age is  made  good.  The  only  excuse  you  have  for  mak- 
ing such  a  request  of  me  is  on  the  ground  that  you 
supported  me  during  the  campaign.  I  am  aware  that 
you  did  support  me,  but  I  did  not  know  your  motive  at 
the  time  or  I  should  have  told  you  to  support  the  other 
man.  I  thought  you  were  supporting  me  because  you 
had  made  up  your  mind  that  I  would  better  serve  your 
school,  and  the  people  at  large.  I  see  now  you  did  not 
expect  that,  but  wanted  me  elected,  thinking  I  could 
be  induced  to  serve  your  personal  ends,  even  to  the  det- 
riment of  the  schools.  Now,  to  do  you  justice,  Mr. 
Joy,  you  did  not  mean  to  injure  a  soul,  for  at  heart  I 
actually  believe  you  to  be  an  honest  man;  but  the  fact 
remains  that  your  actions  brand  you  as  being  dishonest. 
This  I  lay  to  the  fact  that  you  have  not  thought  much 


122  SILAS  COBB 

about  anyone's  interest  but  your  own.  You  did  not 
think  of  your  neighbor's  children,  or  even  your  own, 
being  injured  for  life  by  an  incompetent  teacher.  You 
have  not  studied  that  subject  so  much  as  you  have 
others,  which  accounts  for  your  opinions  not  being  well 
founded." 

"That's  pretty  hard,  Silas, ".replied  Mr.  Joy.  "I 
never  yet  had  a  man  talk  that  way  to  me,  but  seems 
like  I  don't  feel  so  very  mad  about  it.  It  is  a  fact;  I 
never  thought  about  it  bein'  any  injury  to  children. 
Don't  know  jest  how  the  gal  is  goin'  to  injure  a  child 
jest  a-teachin'  it  to  read,  write  and  figger,  but  I  am 
willin',  that  bein'  out  o'  my  line,  to  leave  it  with  you, 
Silas." 

''You  are  a  breeder  of  fine  stock,  Mr.  Joy,  and  a  suc- 
cessful one,  too,  for  I  have  seen  your  fine,  well-broken 
horses,  and  your  well-kept  grounds  and  buildings. 
Everything  about  your  place  is  ideal.  I  have  never 
seen  a  better  kept  farm  than  yours.  As  to  your  stock, 
you  have  a  horse  so  well  trained  that  one  almost  expects 
to  hear  him  talk.  You  will  remember  you  had  him  do 
his  tricks  one  day  for  me.  When  you  were  training 
that  horse  you  would  not  have  thought  of  letting  Jim, 
your  hired  man,  handle  him.  He  would  have  ruined 
him  in  a  day.  Isn't  that  so?" 

"To  be  sure  it  is,  Silas,"  replied  Mr.  Joy,  enthusi- 
astically, and  in  a  good  humor  now.  "You  jest  hit  the 
nail  on  the  head.  Talkin'  about  trainin'  horses,  there 
ain't  one  man  in  a  thousand  that  kin  do  it.  Why, 
shucks!  do  you  know,  I  won't  let  Jim  drive  any  of  my 
blooded  horses?  He'd  ruin  'em,  sure.  Yes  sir,  that's  a 
fact.  I  kin  train  a  horse,  and  as  to  keepin'  up  the 
place,  I  am  all  right  on  that,  too." 

"That  is  surely  in  your  line,  Mr.  Joy,"  replied  Silas, 


SILAS  COBB  123 

"for  I  never  saw  anything  better  done  anywhere,  and 
your  success  with  horses  shows  the  value  of  skilled 
trainers.  You  never  could  have  made  that  horse  an 
intelligent  animal  if  you  had  not  been  a  trained  horse- 
man. It  is  exactly  the  same  in  training  children. 
With  a  skilled  teacher,  a  child  is  developed  into  a 
beautiful  creature,  and  with  an  unskilled  teacher  he 
develops  into  a  mentally  deformed  one." 

"Silas,"  replied  Mr.  Joy,  "you  hit  me  that  time, 
and  I  acknowledge  you  have  given  me  a  good  hard 
lick,  too,  and  I  furnished  you  the  club.  That's  a  good 
one  on  me!  Why,  confound  me,  anybody  could  see  that 
all  right.  You've  got  to  have  trained  horsemen  to  make 
good  horses,  and  the  same  is  true  of  teachers,  of  course. 
Say,  Silas,  I  see  you  air  right  and  I  am  wrong,  and  if 
you  will  fergit  the  past  I  will,  and  we  will  start  in  new; 
you  a  traiuin'  teachers  and  me  a  trainin'  horses.  But, 
doggone  me,  if  I  don't  go  right  home  and  teach  that  gal 
some  manners.  She  ort  to  knowed  better'n  to  act  up 
that-a-way." 

"That  is  all  right,  Mr.  Joy.  It  does  me  good  to 
hear  you  talk  that  way.  I  always  knew  your  heart  was 
right." 

Silas  was  very  successful  in  shaking  people  loose 
from  wrong  ideas  by  telling  them  of  their  faults,  but 
he  always  knew  enough  to  point  out  their  virtues  to 
them,  so  as  not  to  jar  them  too  violently.  Thus,  he 
did  two  good  things — encouraged  their  good  traits  and 
discouraged  their  bad  ones. 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

THE  ENTIRE  week  was  given  up  to  the  recep- 
tion of  applicants  who  had  received  notices  of 
failure  to  pass  the  examination.  They  came 
in  singly,  by  twos,  threes,  and  sometimes,  it  seemed 
to  Silas,  by  droves.  Those  who  were  not  in  tears, 
as  a  rule  were  in  open  rebellion.  They  declared  such 
high-handed  outrages  had  never  before  been  committed 
on  an  unsuspecting  people. 

On  Saturday  morning  Mr.  Avery,  a  very  smooth- 
tongued gentleman  from  the  village  of  Adkins,  called 
on  Mr.  Cobb.  He  wanted  a  private  interview,  and 
when  shown  into  Silas'  little  private  room,  he  began  at 
once: 

"Say,  Silas,  do  you  know  you  are  making  a  fool  of 
yourself,  my  boy?  I  took  you  to  be  a  pretty  keen 
fellow,  and  never  dreamed  you  would  turn  on  your 
own  supporters.  I  don't  think  you  ungrateful,  Silas, 
but  I  do  think  you  are  on  the  wrong  track.  Mr. 
Johnson,  Sam  Johnson — you  know  who  I  mean — was 
over  to  see  me  last  night,  and  he  told  me  you  had 
refused  his  girl,  Sarah,  a  certificate.  I  was  simply 
astonished  when  he  told  me,  for  I  knew  that  you  were 
aware  that  he  worked  for  you  in  the  campaign  day 
and  night,  for  two  weeks  before  election.  Besides 
his  girl  has  taught  one  term,  and  holds  a  certificate 
from  Littleman.  I  didn't  just  see  why  you  should  do 
a  fool  thing  like  that,  and  told  Johnson  so.  It  seems 
to  me,  since  we  have  elected  you  to  office,  you  ought  to 
at  least  not  make  open  war  on  your  friends.  So  I  have 
come  up  especially  to  hear  what  you  have  to  say  about 
it." 


SILAS  COBB  125 

Silas  listened  patiently  and  very  attentively  till  he 
had  finished,  and  then  he  said:  "Mr.  Avery,  I  am 
very  glad  you  have  come  to  me.  It  shows  that  you 
are  at  least  ready  to  get  at  the  root  of  things  at  once, 
before  you  express  your  opinion  too  freely  on  the 
outside.  Now,  let  us  take  up  Miss  Johnson's  cage  at 
the  beginning.  She  took  the  examination  here  and 
made  an  average  of  fifty-two  per  cent  on  a  list  of  ques- 
tions that  were  very  simple  and  practical.  She  could 
neither  read  nor  spell  respectably,  nor  even  solve  a  prob- 
lem in  compound  numbers.  She  had  never  had  anj  school- 
ing outside  of  a  very  poor  country  school.  I  honestly 
decided  she  could  not  possibly  teach  a  school.  It 
would  be  an  outrage  to  the  long-suffering  people  to 
impose  on  them  in  such  a  manner.  Her  father  called 
here  with  her,  and  I  showed  them  her  papers.  They 
seemed  satisfied  she  had  been  honestly  treated.  I  told 
them  it  would  not  do  to  issue  a  certificate  on  those 
grades.  I  understand  now,  from  you,  that  he  was  not 
satisfied,  but  has  gone  to  you,  knowing  you  to  be  one 
of  my  warmest  friends,  and  asked  you  to  come  to  me 
and  intercede  for  his  daughter  for  him.  Am  I  right, 
Mr.  Avery?" 

"Yes,  he  did  ask  me  if  I  could  do  anything  for  him, 
and  I  told  him  I  would  see,"  replied  Mr.  Avery. 

"Well,  you  are  not  the  only  prominent  citizen  I 
have  had  call  on  me  on  similar  errands.  The  naked 
proposition  then  is  this:  I  have  refused  Miss  Johnson 
a  certificate.  She  brought  her  father  to  see  me, 
and  I  refused  the  second  time  to  grant  it.  They  seek 
an  influential  neighbor  whom  I  admire  very  much,  and 
send  him  to  see  me,  hoping  that,  with  his  political 
influence  and  friendship,  he  might  get  what  they 
failed  to  get.  In  other  words,  they  assume  that  I  am 


126  SILAS  COBB 

both  a  fool  and  a  knave.  What  respect  could  you- 
have  for  me?  What  respect  could  Mr.  Johnson  and 
his  daughter  have,  knowing  that  I  could  be  influenced 
by  political  friends  to  do  to-day  what  T  refused  to  do 
yesterday,  while  the  evidence  that  guided  me  remained 
the  same?  I  can't  blow  north  to-day  and  south 
to-morrow,  Mr.  Avery,  without  some  veiy  good 
reasons  for  it.  But  I  want  to  ask  you  a  question  now, 
and  I  believe  you  will  answer  it  frankly:  Did  you  ever 
know  a  man  occupying  this  position  who  would  reverse 
his  decisions  simply  because  a  friend  wanted  him  to 
do  so?" 

"Yes,  I  have." 

"What  did  you  think  of  him,   Mr.    Avery?      Hon- 
estly, now." 

"Oh,  he  was  a  pretty  good  fellow,  I  guess." 
"Well,  now,  tell  me  how  far  you  would  trust  him." 
Mr.  Avery  looked  up  and  smiled.  "Say,  Silas,"  he 
said,  "you  are  all  right.  I  like  you  for  your  fearless, 
straightforward  course.  In  short,  I  don't  mind  saying 
to  you  that  you  make  me  half  ashamed  of  myself.  You 
see  we  have  been  so  used  to  that  sort  of  thing  we 
haven't  thought  about  how  it  really  did  look  from  an 
honest  man's  point  of  view.  I  am  just  as  glad  as  I  can 
be  to  see  you  take  that  position.  You  were  not  elected 
to  serve  the  leading  Democrats  of  this  county,  but  the 
people,  and  I  thought  when  you  were  talking,  how 
really  incompetent  that  girl  is,  and  how  I  would  dis- 
like to  have  her  teach  my  children.  I  remembered  then 
that  she  had  been  teaching  a  term  or  so,  and  somebody 
had  to  suffer  for  it.  I  am  really  thankful  to  you  for 
calling  my  attention  to  this  evil.  While  I  am  a  poli- 
tician, yet  1  think  I  am  sufficiently  honest,  if  I  know 
what  is  right,  not  to  injure  my  neighbors." 


SILAS  COBB  127 

The  afternoon's  mail  brought  Silas  a  letter,  which 
read  as  follows: 

MY  DEAR  SIR:    Will  you  please  inform  me  whether 
or  not  Miss  Julia  Howe  received  a  certificate?     I   will 
consider  your  reply  entirely  confidential. 
Yours  truly, 

HENRY  JAMES,  Postmaster. 

This  Mr.  James  was  postmaster  at  Fairfax,  a  gossipy 
little  village,  where  Miss  Howe  had  taught  one  year, 
and  Silas  felt  certain  nothing  but  curiosity  and  envy 
prompted  the  query.  So  far,  no  one  knew  whether 
Miss  Howe  had  failed  or  passed,  and  all  her  acquaint- 
ances were  almost  consumed  with  curiosity  in  regard  to 
it.  Silas  replied  like  this: 

DEAR  MR.  JAMES:  Your  letter  of  inquiry  regarding 
Miss  Howe's  record  of  examination  is  just  at  hand.  In 
reply,  I  desire  to  say  to  you  without  any  intent  of 
offering  you  offense,  that  you  can  no  doubt  get  your 
question  satisfactorily  answered  by  addressing  Miss 
Howe  personally  on  the  subject.  Unless  you  are  a 
school  officer,  and  are  officially  in  need  of  the 
information,  I  shall  remain  silent  on  the  subject.  This 
office  does  not  consider  it  in  the  range  of  duty  to 
satisfy  mere  curiosity  on  a  subject  that  concerns  no 
one  but  Miss  Howe  herself.  Yours  truly, 

SILAS  COBB. 

P.  S.  As  a  second  thought,  I  have  decided  to  send 
your  letter  to  Miss  Howe  for  her  to  do  with  as  she  sees 
fit. 

Mr.  Cobb  then  mailed  to  Miss  Howe  a  copy  of  his 
letter  to  Mr.  James,  together  with  the  James  letter. 
It  is  safe  to  say  that  Miss  Howe  shed  a  few  tears  of 
gratitude  over  this  silent  evidence  of  protection  Silas 
saw  fit  to  afford  her.  While  he  did  it  as  a  matter  of 
principle,  he  felt  it  would  show  her  he  had  no 
prejudices. 

Mr.  Henry  James  had  a  few  sparks  of  manhood  left 


128  SILAS  COBB 

in  him,  and  when  he  received  Superintendent  Cobb's 
letter,  he  was  chagrined  to  think  his  wife,  who  had 
induced  him  to  write  to  Silas,  would  get  him  into  such 
a  humiliating  position.  lie  took  the  letter  home  to 
his  wife  at  once,  and  they  quarreled  about  it.  Neither 
of  them  expected  to  get  a  reply  from  Miss  Howe,  and 
it  never  occurred  to  them,  even  if  she  did  reply,  that 
she  would  tell  them  the  truth  about  it.  To  the  great 
surprise  of  Henry  James,  he  received  a  letter  from 
Miss  Howe  which  disturbed  him  greatly.  If  he  were 
humiliated  when  he  received  Silas  Cobb's  letter,  he 
might  properly  be  classed  among  the  crushed  when  he 
received  hers.  He  wrote  her  a  pathetic  apology,  and 
told  her  he  would  not  breathe  a  word  of  the  contents, 
etc.,  and  he  kept  it  from  his  wife  for  at  least  one 
week.  The  following  is  her  letter: 

AUGUST  1,  188 — . 
MB.   HENRY  JAMES,  FAIRFAX,  ILL. 

DEAR  SIR:  Superintendent  Cobb  has  kindly  sent 
me  your  letter  of  inquiry  as  to  the  result  of  my  exam- 
ination, and  foot-noted  it,  saying  I  should  answer  it  or 
not,  as  I  saw  fit.  I  have  decided  to  answer  it,  and  I 
am  sure  you  and  your  friends  will  be  delighted  to 
know  that  I  have  failed  to  pass  the  required  standard. 
Why  you  should  be,  God  only  knows,  for  I  have  never 
injured  any  of  you  in  my  life,  and  I  frankly  give  this 
information,  knowing  that  it  will  give  you  pleasure, 
and  that  you  will  use  it  to  my  injury. 

I  assure  you  I  hold  you  no  ill-will. 

Yours  very  truly, 

JULIA  HOWE. 

Mrs.  James  and  a  few  other  ladies  of  the  town  had 
been  very  envious  of  Miss  Howe,  and  had  never  let  an 
opportunity  pass  to  criticise  her.  Her  beauty  and 
social  qualities  had  drawn  to  her  most  of  the  better  ele- 
ment of  the  town,  and  this  was  gall  and  wormwood  to 


SILAS  COBB  129 

Mrs.  James.  As  before  stated,  Mr.  James,  being  a 
weak  man,  was  able  to  keep  the  secret  a  full  week 
before  Mrs.  James  caused  the  culprit  to  divulge  it. 
Then  she  compelled  him  to  tell  her  how  long  he  had 
kept  the  news  from  her.  When  she  found  he  had 
carried  the  letter  a  week,  she  grew  very  angry,  and 
accused  him  of  too  much  intimacy  with  that  thing. 
She  then  hurried  through  her  dinner,  and  without 
washing  the  dishes,  dressed,  and  went  calling  that 
afternoon  on  all  of  her  friends,  and  almost  "walked 
her  legs  off"  getting  around  to  them  all  to  spread  the 
precious  news.  How  she  did  enjoy  it!  One  of  the 
sti'angest  things  in  this  wide,  wicked  old  world  is  the 
keen  enjoyment  one  woman  gets  in  rending  another. 


CHAPTER    XXVIII. 

FROM  day  to  day  Silas  Cobb  had  inquiries,  both  by 
mail  and  in  person,  from  people  who  desired  to 
know  if  such  and  such  a  one  had  passed.  To  all 
these  questions  Silas  had  the  good  sense  to  make  the 
same  reply,  in  substance,  as  that  addressed  to  Henry 
James.  He  gave  a  good  many  lessons  in  ethics  to  peo- 
ple in  that  trying  month  of  August.  They  came  to 
him  before  breakfast,  then  all  forenoon  at  the  office. 
They  interrupted  his  noon  hour,  and  harassed  him  all 
afternoon;  then  after  supper  he  was  besieged  at  the 
hotel  until  bedtime.  Papas,  mammas,  sisters,  brothers, 
politicians  and  school  boards — all  requesting  him  to 
reverse  his  decisions,  and  issue  certificates  to  favorites 
who  had  failed.  This  poor  girl  had  her  mother  to  sup- 
port, and  that  one  had  already  contracted  for  her  school. 
Another  one  had  been  promised  such  a  small  school, 
there  would  be  no  trouble  in  her  teaching  it.  She 
didn't  need  to  know  much.  The  people  wanted  her, 
and  why  should  he  care?  Some  grew  angry  and 
threatened  him  with  defeat  at  the  next  election.  Oth- 
ers were  satisfied  with  his  explanations,  while  still 
others  were  passive.  In  this  manner  Silas  spent  the 
hot  mouth  of  August,  and  fought  a  battle  against  as 
great  odds  as  is  seldom  the  misfortune  of  any  man  to 
meet.  Yet  few,  if  any,  of  his  constituents  realized, 
or  even  appreciated  at  the  time,  the  great  service  he 
was  rendering  the  county,  as  he  stood  there  alone,  with 
no  sympathy  or  encouragement,  fighting  for  the  rights 
of  the  little  boys  and  girls,  and  sometimes  it  seemed  to 
him  that  the  very  people  he  was  fighting  for  were  in 
sympathy  with  the  enemy.  There  were  times  when  his 


SILAS  COBB  isi 

spirit  seemed  ground  iuto  the  earth,  after  a  trying  day 
with  school  officers  and  politicians,  and,  sitting  alone 
in  his  room  at  night,  by  the  ill-smelling  oil  lamp,  doubt 
would  creep  into  his  heart,  and  he  would  ask  himself 
whether  he  shouldn't  give  it  all  up,  and  go  back  to  old 
Mr.  Boggs',  where  he  had  always  been  at  peace.  Per- 
haps after  all  he  had  been  too  hard  on  the  would-be 
teachers.  Then  the  faces  of  those  who  had  gone  down 
amidst  the  ruins  of  the  fatal  examination  would  pass  in 
review  before  him.  There  was  Miss  Howe,  tall  and 
beautiful,  standing  before  him  again,  and  he  could  re- 
call every  word  she  had  said  to  him,  and  it  seemed  now 
in  the  silence  of  the  night,  that  they  came  from  a 
broken  spirit.  He  sighed,  and  his  mind  ran  back  to 
the  barefoot  time  of  his  youth,  and  meadows,  orchards, 
cornfields  and  a  little  slip  of  a  girl,  were  there  before 
him.  He  even  smelled  the  clover  blossoms,  and  could 
hear  the  buzz  of  the  bumble-bee.  Yes,  even  Julia,  the 
girl  he  had  played  with  that  June  day  in  the  long  ago, 
he  had  cast  down  with  the  others  from  a  place  she  had 
long  since  reached.  Yet,  after  all,  did  he  not  do  right, 
and  had  he  not  suffered  greatly,  too,  in  doing  it?  But 
it  was  too  late  to  change  his  course  if  he  would,  for, 
as  he  said  to  Mr.  Avery,  he  could  not  blow  north  to- 
day and  south  to-morrow  without  grave  reasons  for  it. 

His  thoughts  reverted  to  Superintendent  Ed  Smith. 
The  thought  of  this  impulsive  yet  extraordinary  man 
made  him  wish  to  see  him  at  once.  It  would  be  a 
comfort  to  talk  it  over  with  him,  so  he  promised  him- 
self a  holiday,  and  on  the  following  morning  he  went 
over  to  see  his  neighbor,  and  was  greeted  with  an 
informality  that  was  refreshing. 

"Why,  hello,  Silas,  you  dear  old  cub,   how  are  you 


132  SILAS  COBB 

anyway?     Mighty  glad  to  see  you,  ray  boy,"  and  he 
pulled  Silas  into  a  chair  beside  his  desk. 

"I  am  not  feeling  very  happy,  Mr.  Smith,  and  that 
is  why  I  am  here,"  Silas  replied.  "I  have  spent  a 
month  in  purgatory,  and  I  have  come  over  to  see  if  you 
know  a  way  out  of  the  place,  or  if  not,  to  get  as  much 
encouragement  from  you  as  possible,  for  I  tell  you 
honestly  I  am  very  much  discouraged." 

"Good  gracious,  boy,  you  look  as  if  you  had  come 
home  to  die.  What's  the  trouble?  Haven't  run  you 
out  of  the  county  have  they?" 

"No,  not  so  bad  as  that,  but  I  am  harassed  very 
nearly  to  death  by  the  friends  of  wrecked  school- 
teachers." 

Superintendent  Smith  leaned  back  in  his  chair  and 
laughed  heartily.  He  was  a  man  as  indifferent  to  a 
frown  as  any  one  could  be,  and  it  amused  him  to  see 
Silas  wearing  such  a  long  face  over  so  small  a  matter. 
So  he  proceeded  to  give  his  idea  of  the  situation. 

"Silas,  you  may  not  know  it,  but  you  are  a  pioneer, 
and  you  are  right  now  making  the  first  clearing.  That 
county  is  as  dark  as  Egypt  and  the  people  never  had  a 
county  superintendent  before.  The  things  that  have 
been  in  office  over  there  were  not  county  superintend- 
ents at  all.  No  one  who  knew  anything  about  super- 
vision ever  honored  them  by  that  name.  They  simply 
imposed  on  the  people,  and  licensed  every  sort  of  indi- 
vidual who  came  along  to  teach  school.  True,  it  is  a 
sad  commentary  on  the  intelligence  of  the  people. 
But  how  should  they  know?  They  had  nothing  to 
compare  their  superintendents  with.  All  they  ever 
had  were  ground  out  of  the  same  grist.  No  matter 
what  Littleman  did,  right  or  wrong,  if  any  one  came 
up  and  kicked  about  it,  he  would  undo  his  work  at 


SILAS  COBB 


133 


once.  So  you  see  the  people  have  grown  used  to  hav- 
ing every  whim  gratified,  whether  it  hurt  the  county 
at  large  or  not.  When  you  came  into  office  they 
expected  you  to  be  like  your  predecessors.  I  have  kept 
track  of  you,  and  knew  what  was  coming.  I  knew 


"Superintendent  Smith  leaned  back  in  his  chair  and    fc  . 
laughed  heartily." 

you  would  have  to  fight  it  out  with  them  at  once  and 
win  or  your  work  would  be  a  flat  failure.  Don't  I 
know  by  experience  what  it  is?  Did  I  not  have  the 
same  battle  to  tight  over  here?  The  only  difference 
between  us  is,  I  enjoyed  the  fight,  and  I  see  you  are 


134  SILAS  COBB 

in  tears  at  what  you  consider  is  the  ruin  you  have 
wrought.  But  don't  you  worry.  •  Your  fight  is  over, 
and  if  you  stand  firm  you  will  never  have  any  more 
trouble.  People  will  learn  that  you  cannot  be  moved, 
once  honestly  decided.  They  will  fall  into  line  and 
take  your  rulings  as  a  matter  of  fact,  and  never  think 
of  coming  up  to  influence  you  to  change  them.  Those 
who  fail  will  not  call  to  trouble  you  about  it,  but  take 
it  for  granted  that  they  have  failed  for  good  and  valid 
reasons." 

"Your  words,"  said  Silas,  "picture  very  clearly  the 
far-reaching  influence  of  a  county  superintendent,  even 
though  he  be  a  very  weak  man.  We  usually  consider 
if  a  man  be  weak,  his  influence  is  very  small  in  any 
direction,  but  I  can  see  that  in  the  case  of  a  county 
superintendent  it  is  different.  It  would  seem  that  his 
very  weakness  causes  a  train  of  evil  that  could  never 
be  equaled  in  extent  by  the  good  done  by  a  strong, 
conscientious  man.  His  weakness  throws  down  the 
bars  to  all  sorts  of  impositions.  The  people  not  only 
suffer  incalculable  loss  by  having  incompetent  teachers 
thrust  upon  them,  but  the  dignity  and  integrity  that 
should  be  attached  to  the  office  is  dragged  down  into 
the  dirt.  In  the  meantime  people  have  learned  to  look 
upon  the  office  as  a  thing  that  can  be  bought  and  sold 
for  political  preference  or  even  money.  God  knows 
it's  a  difficult  thing  to  break  down  long-established 
precedent,  though  it  is  based  on  false  premises  and 
rotten  to  the  core." 

"That  is  true,"  replied  Mr.  Smith.  "Precedent  is 
everything  to  an  old  community.  It  is  a  clog  to  pro- 
gress and  a  cover  for  incompetency  and  often  fraud. 
Anything  new  is  frowned  down  unless  a  strong  hand  is 
at  the  helm.  An  old  wrong  can  be  perpetrated  on  the 


SILAS  COBB  135 

people  time  and  again,  simply  because  they  are  used 
to  it.  Try  to  correct  it  and  you  have  to  fight.  Hun- 
dreds of  honest  men  are  elected  to  office  every  year,  and 
they* begin  work  with  high  aspirations  and  an  ambi- 
tion to  do  the  right  thing  for  the  people.  In  the  tirst 
efforts  they  make  along  these  worthy  lines  they  meet 
with  the  opposition  of  some  one  who  is  affected  by  the 
iH-w  move,  and  he  at  once  brings  his  influence  to  bear 
on  the  office.  If  that  isn't  enough  to  stop  him,  he  gets 
all  his  friends  to  help  him,  and  the  end  usually  is  that 
the  men  who  are  holding  public  trust  defer  to  private 
interests.  3o  these  men  who  meant  to  go  right  and  do 
right  find  themselves  conforming  to  the  natural  law, 
and  they  move  along  the  line  of  least  resistance. 
'What's  the  use,'  they  think,  'of  going  against  the 
people?  If  they  want  me  to  do  this  way,  why  need  I 
care?  Am  I  not  their  servant,  and  ought  I  not  to  do 
as  they  wish  me  to  do?' 

"So  they  argue  themselves  into  believing  that  they 
are  doing  right,  and  that  these  self-interested  people 
who  protest  against  their  acts  are  the  whole  people. 
They  are  willing  to  do  as  they,  the  interested  voters, 
want  them  to.  Why?  Because  the  remainder  of  the 
voters  don't  care  a  rap.  Most  public  officers  are  like  a 
schoolma'am  I  heard  of  over  in  Superintendent 
Slowly's  county.  She  had  been  foolishly  teaching 
that  the  world  was  round,  to  the  chagrin  of  the  school 
board  and  most  of  the  patrons.  When  she  was  called 
up  before  the  indignant  school  board,  and  an  explana- 
tion of  her  degeneracy  demanded,  she  frankly  abjured 
her  theory  of  the  rotundity  of  the  earth's  shape,  and 
told  them  she  would  henceforth  hold  to  the  pancake 
idea;  thus  she  avoided  a  conflict  with  authority. 

"Silas,  I  am  a  firm  believer  in  the  predomination  of 


136  SILAS  COBB 

the  good,  always  providing,  however,  that  a  good  man 
is  at  the  head  to  help  out  in  a  pinch.  And  I'll  tell 
you  another  thing,  too,  that  I  believe  in.  The  harder 
you  try  to  hold  an  office  term  after  term,  the  less 
liable  you  are  to  succeed.  A  fellow  gets  to  catering 
to  this  and  that  and  makes  a  perfect  ass  of  himself,  and 
the  people  gradually  catch  on  to  the  fact.  That  is,  a 
few  of  them  do,  and  they  tell  their  thicker-headed 
brothers  about  it.  So,  in  time,  he  loses  his  job.  On 
the  other  hand,  here  is  what  has  happened  to  me.  I 
came  into  this  office  practically  under  protest.  I  had 
a  good  place  and  didn't  need  this  one.  Well,  I  was 
independent,  and  I  took  some  pleasure  in  telling  a  few 
fellows  who  tried  to  dictate  the  policy  of  the  office 
with  a  threat  of  defeat  for  the  second  term,  that  I 
didn't  care  a  rap  for  their  support;  I  was  only  serving 
the  people  by  special  request,  and  would  be  glad  to 
quit  any  time  they  got  tired  of  my  services.  Then  I 
would  laughingly  ask  them  if  they  had  a  message  from 
the  people  to  me  to  that  effect.  So  things  went  on 
that  way,  and  gradually  it  became  a  well-known  fact 
among  the  people  that  I  didn't  particularly  care  for 
the  office.  When  some  one  would  raise  the  question 
about  my  wanting  a  second  election,  there  was  always 
some  fellow  there  to  say,  'Well,  you  can't  work  no 
bluff  on  him,  he  doesn't  care  a  snap  for  the  office  and 
wouldn't  turn  his  hand  over  for  it.'  Strange  as  it  may 
seem,  the  perversity  of  human  nature  makes  men  do 
things  by  contraries.  There's  quite  sure  to  be  another 
fellow  in  the  crowd  who  is  also  an  independent  lance, 
and  he  naturally  admires  a  fearless  man,  but  he  rather 
likes  to  force  things  himself,  so  he  says:  'That's  just 
the  kind  of  a  man  we  want — some  one  who  is  not 
afraid  to  act  fearlessly  on  any  subject  that  may  arise 


SILAS  COBB  137 

for  fear  he  might  lose  a  vote  or  two.'  You  know  what 
sort  of  an  administration  I  have  had  over  here.  It  has 
been  as  cold-blooded,  so  far  as  hewing  to  the  line  is 
concerned,  as  anything  could  be.  I  felt  sure  when  I 
started  out  that  one  term  would  be  sufficient  to  give 
the  people  a  surfeit  of  me.  What's  the  result?  I 
couldn't  get  off  making  a  second  campaign,  and  I  had 
more  votes  than  ever.  I  account  for  it  largely  on  the 
ground  that  the  ordinary  man,  when  not  personally 
interested,  likes  to  see  a  public  office  run  vigorously 
and  honestly.  He  gets  sore  if  lie  sees  that  an  officer 
can  be  managed  by  some  neighbor  of  his  with  whom 
he  is  not  on  good  terms.  In  fact,  all  the  republican 
voters  I  lost  last  year  on  account  of  having  to  sit  on 
them  souie  time  or  other  during  my  term,  were  counter- 
balanced by  their  envious  democratic  neighbors  who 
thought  I  was  a  man  of  great  discernment.  They  had 
had  to  sit  on  these  same  fellows  long  ago,  and  it 
pleased  them  to  know  I  endorsed  their  act,  apparently." 

The  more  they  discussed  the  matter  the  better  Silas 
felt.  He  could  not  help  feeling  with  his  constituents 
every  disappointment  they  felt,  but  this  talk  with 
Superintendent  Smith  braced  him  up  and  he  felt  better 
about  it.  He  was  sure  he  was  right,  but  one  needs 
sympathy  and  encouragement  when  facing  trials,  great 
or  small.  A  lot  of  small  trials  are  more  wearing,  too, 
than  a  few  large  ones. 

Silas  went  home  full  of  determination  to  fight  it  out 
along  the  lines  he  had  laid  down. 

The  experiences  that  Superintendent  Cobb  met  with 
are  common  in  all  counties  where  the  superintendent 
follows  a  similar  course,  and  has  been  preceded  in 
office  by  a  man  like  Professor  Littleman.  In  many 
counties  at  the  present  time,  such  conditions  are 


138  SILAS  COBB 

unknown  for  the  simple  reason  that  there  has  been  a 
long  line  of  strong  men  in  office,  each  adding  to  the 
strength  and  virtue  of  the  work  done  by  his  prede- 
cessor. In  such  a  county  few  people  aspire  to  be 
teachers  who  have  not  had  considerable  preparation, 
and  if  they  fail  to  pass,  that  ends  the  matter. 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

THAT  afternoon  when  Silas  got  back  to  his  office 
he  had  a  call  from  Caleb  Fisher.  That  gentle- 
man came  in,  deeply  absorbed  in  something,  and 
as  Silas'  greeting  brought  him  back  to  the  earth  again, 
he  found  it  necessary  to  take  a  turn  around  the  room 
once,  and  not  finding  a  spittoon  in  sight  he  passed  out 
into  the  hall.  No  man,  even  though  he  be  as  brief  as 
Caleb  Fisher,  could  handle  his  tongue  submerged  in  a 
pint,  more  or  less,  of  tobacco  juice.  He  came  back 
into  the  office  ready  for  business.  Life  was  a  serious 
matter  with  Caleb.  He  never  smiled  or  said  an  extra 
word  if  he  could  avoid  it. 

"Howdy." 

This  was  in  answer  to  Silas'  former  greeting.  He 
always  took  everything  in  courses,  and  did  one  thing 
at  a  time. 

"What  can  I  do  for  you  to-day,  Mr.  Fisher?" 

"Want  t'  git  a  teacher." 

"Oh!"  replied  Silas. 

"Yep." 

"Whom  do  you  want?" 

"Julie  Howe." 

"Oh!  (This  time  rather  surprised.)  I  don't  think 
you  can  get  her,  Mr.  Fisher." 

"Why?" 

"Don't  think  she  is  going  to  teach  this  year." 

"Why?" 

"She  has  not  told  me,  but  I  think  I  am  right." 

"We  want  her  anyhow!" 

"I  have  another  teacher  I  can  send  you  though,  Mr. 
Fisher." 


140  SILAS  COBB 

"Don't  want  any  other." 

"I  fear  you  can't  get  Miss  Howe." 

"She  asked  me  fer  the  school." 

"When?" 

"Las'  spring." 

"Oh!  that's  quite  different  now." 

"Why?" 

"Well,  Mr.  Fisher,  I  see  you  are  a  warm  friend  and 
believer  in  Miss  Howe,  and  I  am  glad  of  it.  You*  are 
a  school  officer  and  have  a  right  to  know  why  you 
can't  get  her.  She  has  failed  to  pass  the  examination." 

Caleb  got  up  and  took  another  turn  around  the 
room,  and  making  sure  for  the  second  time  no  spittoon 
was  to  be  found,  he  put  his  head  out  of  the  open  win- 
dow and  aimed  at  a  wheelbarrow  in  the  yard  below. 
He  looked  pleased  when  he  came  back  to  his  seat,  so 
Silas  assumed  that  he  hit  his  mark.  He  sat  down,  and 
after  due  reflection  said: 

"Oh!" 

"Yes,"  replied  Silas,  "and  I  am  very  sorry.  She  is 
a  good  girl." 

"Middlin'." 

"You  like  her  as  a  teacher  very  much,   I  suppose?" 

"Middlin'." 

"Do  you  want  the  other  teacher  I  mentioned  to 
you?" 

"Middlin' — oh — I —   mean — er — what  did  ye  say?" 

"Do  you  want  Miss  Young,  the  other  teacher  I  told 
you  about?" 

"I  reckon." 

"All  right;    when  shall  I  tell  her  to  come?" 

"Nex'  week — Monday." 

"All  right,  Mr.  Fisher,   I   will  send  her  out."     He 


SILAS  COBB  Hi 

vouchsafed  no  reply,  but  stalked  out  and  down  the 
stairs. 

Silas  would  have  given  a  great  deal  to  know  what 
was  in  his  heart.  •  Caleb  Fisher  was  a  philosopher,  and 
although  he  went  about  looking  like  a  tramp,  he  was 
wise,  or  passed  as  being  so,  far  beyond  his  neighbors. 

Wheu  Caleb  hired  Miss  Young,  the  people  were  very 
much  surprised,  for  they  had  all  expressed  a  preference 
for  "Julie"  Howe,  as  they  all  called  her.  Caleb  only 
answered  their  inquiries  with  the  brief  statement, 
"Can't  git  her,"  and  that  ended  it.  No  one  ever 
attempted  to  cross-examine  Caleb  Fisher.  Silas  won- 
dered if  the  old  man  would  give  the  reason  for  his 
failure,  and  was  pleased  to  learn  later  that  he  had  not. 
He  evidently  understood  that  he  had  forced  Silas  to 
give  his  reason,  and  from  that  fact  reasoned  that  Silas 
wanted  it  kept  a  secret.  Or  he  might  have  understood 
that  it  would  injure  Miss  Howe's  reputation  as  a 
teacher.  At  any  rate  he  kept  all  reflections  on  the  sub- 
ject to  himself. 


CHAPTER  XXX. 

ON  a  bright  September  morning  Silas  started  out 
on  a  tour  of  inspection,  or  visits,  according  to 
the  current  vernacular,  to  the  different  schools 
of  the  county.  He  drove  out  to  old  Henry  Hoggs' 
home  in  time  for  dinner,  and  was  met  by  Mr.  Boggs 
at  the  barn-yard  gate,  where  it  became  that  worthy 
gentleman's  duty  to  club  away  the  irrepressible  swine, 
as  Silas  had  done  on  that  notable  evening  of  the  day 
Mr.  Boggs  had  made  his  speech  before  the  committee. 
"Howdy,  Silas!  I'm  mighty  glad  t'  see  ye  son.  Drive 
right  in  now  an'  git  out — dad  drat  them  plagued  hogs! 
Now  come  on,  quick!  Burn  me  ef  I  don't  pen  up 
these  shoats  an'  git  rid  uv  'em.  Been  lettin'  'em  run 
out  t'  git  a  little  mast  along  the  crick  bottoms." 

"Mr.  Boggs,"  said  Silas,  after  the  fight  with  the 
*  "razor-backs"  ended  and  the  gate  was  closed,  I 
couldn't  resist  coming  out  for  a  little  visit  with  you 
and  Mrs.  Boggs.  Just  want  to  visit  with  you  some 
for  old  time's  sake,  you  know." 

"That's  right,  Silas,  my  boy;  ye  don't  want  t'  fergit 
the  old  folks.  We've  been  a  wishin'  ye'd  come  out 
fer  some  time  back.  Wanted  t'  know  how  ye've  been 
gittin'  on,  too." 

Then  followed  a  long  talk,  in  which  Silas  related  all 
his  experiences  with  his  examinations  and  politicians. 
Mr.  Boggs  listened  with  many  exclamations  of  sur- 


*The  breed  of  hogs  around  Mr.  Boggs'  gate  is  common  to  southern 
Illinois  and  Indiana,  especially  Indiana.  It  is  a  native  of  the  soil,  and 
resembles  it  in  quality.  It  is  usually  poor  and  hungry  and  its  long  snout 
and  thin  appearance  accounts  for  its  nickname  of  "razor-back."  In 
some  localities  it  is  called  "elm-peeler"— just  why  is  not  known,  unless 
it  arose  from  its  marvelous  ability  as  a  rooter  or  "peeler"  of  the 
meadows— suggested  probably  by  the  native  boys  who  enjoy  chewing 
sljppery-elm  bark,  which  they  peel  from  the  young  trees, 


SILAS  COBB  U3 

prise,  but  when  Silas  ceased,  the  old  man  did  not 
seem  to  be  quite  satisfied — something  had  been  omitted 
which  he  wanted  to  hear  about,  so  he  said:  "Silas,  ye 
hain't  said  a  word  'bout  Julie  Howe.  How  be  that 
young  lady  now,  an'  is  it  a  fact  ye've  refused  her  a 
certif-i-kate?" 

"Yes,"  replied  Silas,  "I  had  to  do  it;  I  thought,  and 
some  how,  Mr.  Boggs,  I  feel  rather  badly  about  it. 
There  seems  to  be  something  about  it  that  troubles  my 
conscience.  If  she  had  remained  like  she  was  at  the 
beginning,  thoughtless  and  frivolous,  I  should  not  feel 
that  I  had  made  •  a  mistake,  but  she  has  changed  so 
completely,  and  seems  so  serious  and  earnest,  and  even 
frank  to  admit  her  weakness,  that  I  don't  know 
whether,  after  all,  she  should  not  have  been  given 
another  chance.  But  the  deed  is  done  and  cannot  be 
recalled,  right  or  wrong.  What  do  you  think  about 
it,  Mr.  Boggs?" 

"Miss  Alger  wuz  over  here  las'  week  an'  wuz  a 
tellin'  Mrs.  Boggs  'bout  how  Julie  had  gone  off  t' 
school  an'  how  she  wuz  dif'runt  from  what  she  wuz'," 
said  Mr.  Boggs,  "an'  blame  me!  Silas,  I  feel  'bout  like 
you.  The  gal  shorely  shows  lots  uv  sense  an'  energy, 
from  what  Miss  Alger  told  me  and  my  ole  woman." 

"Is  it  a  fact  that  she  has  gone  away  to  school,  Mr. 
Boggs?"  asked  Silas. 

"It  shorely  is,  Silas,  fer  Miss  Alger  told  us  that  her 
cousin  lives  next  door  t'  Widder  Howe,  an'  she  got  the 
news  from  one  uv  Julie's  little  brothers.  He  said  they 
had  a  mighty  hard  time  gittin'  the  money,  too,  an'  do 
ye  know,  Si,  I  jest  wanted  t'  go  an'  see  that  gal  an' 
offer  t'  loan  her  'nough  money  t'  gradeate  her  at  school. 
Blamed  ef  I  didn't!  But  Miss  Alger  says  they's 
mighty  proud,  an'  it's  not  shore  they  would  borrow 


144  SILAS  COBB 

when  they  have  nothiu'  in  sight  t'  pay  back  with. 
Julie  an'  her  ma  don't  seem  t'  tell  their  troubles,  an' 
uothin'  is  kuowed  about  it,  'ceptin'  what  the  boy  told. 
Si,  do  ye  think  ye  could  manage  t'  tell  her  when  ye 
see  her  agin  that  old  Boggs  would  be  mighty  glad  t' 
loan  her  some  money  t'  pay  her  schoolin'  'thout 
interest,  an'  she  could  pay  it  back  when  she  got  back 
teachin'  agin?" 

"That's  not  a  bad  idea,  Mr.  Boggs,  but  if  she  is 
away  it  will  probably  be  a  long  time  before  either  of 
us  could  see  her.  Besides,  I  have  no  idea  just  how  I 
could  present  the  matter  to  her.  It  is  rather  a  delicate 
subject,  yet  I  do  heartily  approve  of  your  generous 
motive." 

"Shucks,  Si,  don't  need  t'  mention  it  t'  me.  Me'n 
the  old  woman's  got  'nuff  t'  do  us  longer'n  we'll  ever 
be  needin'  it.  'Sides,  it'd  be  helpin'  the  gal  t'  git 
eddicated." 

That  afternoon  Silas  visited  Miss  Josephine  Alger's 
school  in  No.  6.  She  was  probably  as  good  in  country 
school  work  as  any  other  teacher  in  southern  Illinois. 
When  Silas  drove  up  to  the  schoolhouse  he  was  im- 
pressed with  the  general  appearance  of  the  grounds. 
Everything  looked  neat  and  carefully  kept.  There 
were  young  trees,  with  here  and  there  a  bunch  of 
shrubbery,  and  along  by  the  schoolhouse  wall  was  a  bed 
of  pansies.  There  were  no  broken  sticks  and  boards 
lying  around  in  the  playground. 

When  Silas  stepped  into  the  little  hall  and  cloak- 
room, he  found  the  same  neatness  displayed  there. 
Instead  of  an  indiscriminate  mass  of  wraps,  caps,  din- 
ner pails,  etc.,  that  is  a  common  sight  in  the  average 
school  cloak-room,  there  was  a  neat  row  of  caps  and 
bonnets,  and  above  them  a  long  shelf  covered  with 


SILAS  COBB  us 

newspapers  with  scalloped  edges,  011  which  the  dinner 
pails  were  placed.  The  pile  of  rubbish  common  to 
such  places  was  missing. 

On  entering  the  schoolroom  proper,  he  found  a 
bright,  cheery  prospect  before  him.  In  a  window, 
standing  in  the  sunshine,  were  two  or  thi'ee  geraniums 
in  bloom.  On  the  teacher's  desk  was  a  bouquet  of 
pansies  from  the  bed  by  the  side  of  the  schoolhouse. 
Here  and  there  on  the  walls  were  simple  and  appro- 
priate decorations.  Everything  looked  cheerful  and 
cozy.  The  floor  was  clean  from  many  gcrubbings,  and 
the  almost  ever-present  schoolroom  dust  could  scarcely 
be  detected  anywhere.  It  was  a  lovely  room,  though 
simple,  and  the  delightful  autumn  breezes  came  quiver- 
ing thi-ough  a  yellow  cornfield  near  by,  through  the 
mullein  stalks  and  goldeurods  of  the  parched  pasture 
lands,  and  on  through  the  open  windows,  laden  with 
the  breath  of  ripening  corn  and  the  song  of  the  cricket, 
shedding  blessings  on  the  happy  children  and  teacher. 
The  effect  of  these  beautiful  surroundings  and  the 
influence  of  a  loving  heart  on  that  school  were  appar- 
ent at  a  glance.  The  pupils  were  clean  and  well- 
mannered,  and  did  not  stare  Silas  out  of  countenance, 
as  pupils  are  wont  to  do. 

"How  have  you  been  able  to  make  your  surround- 
ings so  delightful,  Miss  Alger?"  said  Silas,  after  his 
first  greeting.  He  spoke  in  a  tone  of  voice  that 
reached  every  pupil  in  the  schoolroom.  Miss  Alger 
blushed  at  this,  and  it  seemed  to  wipe  out  the  lines  of 
care  that  time  had  placed  in  her  face,  and  Silas  won- 
dered why  he  had  always  thought  her  plain. 

"I   can   scarcely   tell   you,    Mr.    Cobb,"    she    said, 

"unless  you  will  take  the  plain  statement  that  we  just 

10   simply  did  it  with  our  hands.     It  isn't  much  to  do. 


146  SILAS  COBB 

Any  one  can  do  it.  In  truth,  you  must  not  credit  me 
with  doing  it,  but  rather  these  boys  and  girls  here. 
They  scrub  this  floor  every  other  night,  and  dust 
every  nook  and  corner  every  day.  You  see  it  is  easy 
when  I  have  some  one  to  do  the  work  for  me." 

"Oh,  Mr.  Cobb,"  spoke  up  Miss  Becky  Stewart, 
who  sat  in  the  back  seat  on  the  girls'  side,  "Miss  Josie 
helps  do  it  all.  She  does  most  of  it.  Course  us  girls 
and  boys  help,  but  you  just  ought  to  see  how  she  finds 
dirt  after  us."  Then  a  lad  chimed  in,  and  still 
another,  till  Miss  "Josie"  was  overwhelmed  with  their 
compliments.  It  was  all  nice!  Suppose  the  delighted 
and  loving  pupils  did  speak  up  without  being  asked? 
It  was  in  a  good  cause,  and  it  was  orderly  and  polite. 
Then  why  not?  Had  not  the  superintendent  come  to 
bring  good  cheer  and  encouragement?  Was  it  not 
good  for  them  all  to  enter  into  a  little  chat  about  a 
very  big  subject?  Isn't  there  too  much  stiffness  about 
schools  in  general,  and  would  it  not  be  better  if  the 
pupils  were  allowed  a  chance  to  learn  to  be  ladies  and 
gentlemen? 

"Miss  Alger,"  continued  Silas,  "I  cannot  say  too 
much  in  praise  of  the  general  appearance  of  your 
schoolgrounds  and  room.  I  have  never  seen  anything 
quite  equaling  it  in  my  life,  anywhere.  You  are 
instilling  into  the  minds  of  your  pupils  some  of  the 
most  important  lessons  of  life.  Such  taste  and  neat- 
ness displayed  in  the  decorations  of  this  room  are  of 
great  importance.  This  school  is  to  be  doubly  con- 
gratulated; first,  in  having  you  as  a  teacher,  and  sec- 
ond, in  thoroughly  appreciating  you  and  following 
your  leadership.  Now  please  tell  me  how  you  manage 
to  keep  your  playgrounds  and  outbuildings  in  such  a 
neat  condition?" 


S  CORB  u? 

"If  you  will  permit  me,  Mr.  Cobb,  I  will  call  on 
Captain  Jenkins  to  explain  that  to  you,  as  he  is 
responsible  largely  for  that  work,"  replied  Miss  Alger, 
smiling. 

"Certainly,  Miss  Alger, "said  Silas,  rather  surprised, 
as  all  eyes  were  centered  on  a  fourteen-year-old  lad  in 
the  back  seat.  Captain  Jenkins,  almost  bursting  with 
pride,  yet  greatly  confused,  was  urged  in  an  encour- 
aging tone  of  voice  to  tell  all  about  it.  "Course,"  he 
said,  "there  isn't  much  to  tell  about  it.  Miss  Alger 
appointed  me  captain  because  I  made  the  highest 
average  in  deportment  for  the  term,  and  my  duty  is  to 
direct  the  work  of  cleaning  the  schoolgrounds  and 
house,  and  she  gave  me  a  plan  to  give  credit  marks  to 
my  men  for  doing  the  work.  We  plant  the  trees, 
flowers  and  shrubbery  during  the  spring  term,  and  the 
llowers  we  take  care  of  much  as  we  can  during  the 
vacation.  But  when  school  begins  we  clear  off  all  the 
weeds  and  get  everything  washed  up  in  good  shape 
during  the  first  week.  We  have  quite  a  lot  of  stuff 
growing  in  our  beds  that  we  have  gathered  up  in  our 
botanical  excursions.  Then,  too,  we  have  gathered 
all  those  insects  in  that  case  over  there.  That  is  not 
done  under  me,  though.  I  have  charge  of  the  play- 
grounds at  recess.  I  have  several  officers  under  me 
who  help  manage  things.  All  boards,  ball  clubs  and 
other  things  we  may  have  to  play  with  are  always  put 
away  on  a  shelf  in  the  coal-house  when  the  bell  rings. 
Every  other  afternoon  in  the  spring  and  fall  we  wash 
the  flooi-.  There  are  so  many  of  us  it  only  takes 
us  twenty  minutes  to  do  the  job  after  the  pupils  all  get 
out.  Then  we  wipe  with  damp  cloths  all  the  window- 
sills,  desks,  and  every  point  where  dust  accumulates, 
every  day  after  school  closes.  That  keeps  our  room 


148  SILAS  COBB 

fresh  and  clean  and  we  all  feel  better.  I  believe  that 
is  all  I  can  think  of  to  tell  about." 

Over  in  the  third  seat  from  the  front  on  the  boys' 
side,  little  Willie  Sharp  now  vigorously  snapped  his 
fingers  and  held  up  a  reasonably  clean  hand. 

"Well,  what  is  it  Willie?"  asked  Miss  Alger. 

"I  jist  got  ten  credits  to-day  noon,  teacher,  and  I'm 
a  lootenant  now.  Capt'n  'pointed  me  while  you  was 
ringin'  the  bell."  His  face  was  all  aglow  with  happi- 
ness, and  it  is  safe  to  say  that  few  mortals  in  mature 
life  ever  reach  the  pinnacle  of  happiness  that  little 
Willie  did  at  that  moment,  when  Superintendent  Cobb 
smiled  on  him,  and  told  him  he  was  a  brave  boy,  and 
one  who  he  was  sure  would  never  disgrace  his  position 
by  any  misdeeds.  And  didn't  it  make  little  Willie  a 
better  boy? 

"Captain  Jenkins,"  asked  Mr.  Cobb,  "what  do  you 
do  when  some  one  of  your  men  won't  work,  or  take 
any  interest  in  your  flowers,  shrubs  and  trees?  Do 
you  attempt  to  make  them  take  part?" 

"Oh  no,  Mr.  Cobb.  We  wouldn't  do  that,  for  Miss 
Alger  don't  even  make  us  do  it.  Every  boy  in 
school  is  glad  to  do  it.  The  better  he  does 
his  work  the  more  credits  he  gets,  and  the  boy  that 
didn't  work  wouldn't  have  much  fun,  for  this  is  like 
being  men,  and  doing  things  like  men  do  them. 
Then  all  the  boys  want  to  be  captain  some  day,  and  the 
only  way  to  be  captain  is  to  win  credits  in  doing  good 
work." 

"How  about  the  girls,  Miss  Alger;  do  you  have  a 
similar  organization  among  them?"  asked  Silas. 

"We  used  to,  Mr.  Cobb,  but  the  whole  school  now 
works  on  the  same  plan  together,  and  the  honors  are 
about  equally  divided  between  the  sexes.  I  am  the 


SILAS  COBB  149 

high  judge  to  whom  all  hard  questions  of  law  and 
equity  are  referred,  and  one  of  our  rules  provides  that 
an  officer  may  be  removed  from  office  for  conduct 
unbecoming  a  gentleman  or  a  lady.  This  rule  has  a 
splendid  effect  on  us  all  in  making  us  control  our 
tempers,  and  act  with  reason  and  justice.  To  begin 
with,  many  were  removed  from  office  and  had  to  begin 
at  the  bottom  again,  but  now  it  has  been  a  year  since 
the  last  officer  was  removed  for  unbecoming  conduct. 
It  is  a  great  educator  and  we  are  ever  so  much  better 
now  than  we  were.  In  the  beginning  we  often  got 
angry  on  the  playgrounds  and  quarreled,  but  nothing 
but  demerit  marks  came  from  it  and  now  we  scarcely 
ever  get  angry.  When  we  do  we  keep  still.  We  used 
to  have  dirty  faces  now  and  then,  which  also  was  only 
good  to  get  us  demerited,  so  we  now  almost  always  have 
clean  faces  and  hands.  All  the  little  courtesies  due 
each  other  are  subjects  for  our  careful  attention,  and 
it  does  seem  that  we  have  greatly  improved,  The  gov- 
ernment of  the  school  is  now  easy  as  all  the  pupils  here, 
even  the  little  fellows,  are  imbued  with  enthusiasm  and 
ambition  to  reach  a  high  place  in  the  government." 

That  afternoon  when  the  work  of  the  classes  was 
finished,  Miss  Alger  tapped  her  bell  and  the  pupils 
laid  away  their  books  and  slates,  etc.,  in  their  desks 
very  methodically  and  without  haste.  At  another 
tap  they  turned  facing  the  aisle,  and  at  another  they 
stood,  and  at  still  another  the  columns  filed  through  the 
cloak-rooms.  As  it  was  warm  weather  they  had  no 
wraps  and  it  was  not  necessary  for  them  to  pass  back 
to  their  seats.  Instead  they  filed  outside.  As  Silas 
glanced  over  the  vacant  room,  he  was  pleased  to  note  that 
there  was  not  a  book  nor  anything  used  by  the  pupils 
visible  any  where.  He  had  scarcely  taken  note  of  all 


150  SILAS  COBB 

this  before  his  attention  was  directed  to  Captain  Jen- 
kins, who  had  marshaled  his  men  outside,  and  eight  of 
them  entered  the  room  again.  Each  of  the  first  three 
carried  a  pail  of  water.  The  other  five  had  brooms. 
There  was  no  noise  or  hurry,  their  movements  being 
precise  and  very  business-like.  The  boys  with  the 
water  distributed  it  over  the  floor,  and  the  five  with 
brooms  came  after  them.  In  less  than  ten  minutes  the 
water,  with  two  or  three  more  pails  added,  was  all 
swept  out  at  the  door.  While  the  sweepers  were  at 
work,  four  girls,  headed  by  Becky  Stewart,  followed 
with  damp  cloths,  and  dusted  all  the  desks,  table,  and 
window-sills.  The  windows  were  all  up,  and  the  warm 
September  wind  dried  the  floor  rapidly. 

The  work  was  all  done,  and  the  children  were  troop- 
ing joyously  off  home  along  the  hills  and  creek 
bottoms  within  twenty  minutes  from  the  time  school 
was  dismissed. 

Silas  and  Miss  Alger  had  been  witnesses  of  the  work 
from  a  side  window  by  the  pansy  bed.  They  were 
still  standing  there  amid  the  songs  of  the  crickets  and 
katy-dids,  fanned  by  the  delightful  autumn  breezes,  as 
the  last  of  Captain  Jenkins  and  his  men  disappeared 
along  the  lane  bordered  with  trees  of  many-colored 
foliage.  The  absence  of  the  children  seemed  to  be  a 
signal  for  all  those  insects  that  plaintively  sing  the 
death  song  of  summer  to  begin,  and  their  sad  hum- 
ming noise  seemed  to  drive  away  thoughts  of  the  pres- 
ent and  leave  one  in  a  reflective  mood.  Miss  Alger 
knelt  by  the  pansy  bed  and  plucked  a  bunch  of  the 
largest  flowers.  While  she  was  engaged  at  this  self- 
appointed  task,  Silas  noticed  her  thin  hands  and  plain 
face,  somewhat  lined  by  the  passing  years.  He 
noticed  her  thin  and  small  figure  as  she  knelt  there  by 


SILAS  COBB  1*1 

him,  and  could  not  help  thinking  of  all  the  years  she 
had  toiled  and  suffered  almost  unnoticed,  because  she 
was  plain  and  unassuming.  He  saw  that  all  her 
youth  and  beauty  had  been  laid  as  an  offering  at  the 
feet  of  the  people,  and  they  had  accepted  it  as  a  matter 
of  fact,  because,  forsooth,  they  paid  for  it.  They  did 
not  know  nor  appreciate  that  all  they  got  had  not  been 
paid  for,  neither  could  money  buy  it.  They  had  not 
paid  her  for  the  heart  and  life  that  went  from  her 
to  those  pupils.  They  had  simply  paid  for  her 
knowledge  of  the  multiplication  table  and  similar 
qualifications,  but  the  real  things  of  value  they  knew 
not  of,  nor  appreciated.  The  great  lessons  of  love  and 
life  she  taught  were  not  laid  down  in  her  text-books, 
but  they  emanated  from  a  heart  that  had  been  nour- 
ished at  the  bosom  of  Mother  Earth,  and  had  grown 
so  strong  and  natural  that  it  took  in  the  whole  world 
with  love  and  pity — love  for  its  virtues  and  pity  for  its 
frailties. 

She  arose  from  her  kneeling  position  with  a  bunch 
of  pansies  which  she  began  to  arrange  into  a  bouquet. 

'^Miss  Alger,"  said  Silas  feelingly,  as  he  stood 
watching  her,  "I  want  you  to  know  that  I  appreciate 
you  and  your  work  probably  better  than  any  of  your 
legion  of  acquaintances,  and  I  appreciate  it  so  much 
that  I  am  sure  I  shall  not  find  words  sufficiently  strong 
to  do  you  justice.  You  have  put  your  life  into  your 
work,  and  while  these  people  will  never  be  able  to  half 
appreciate  all  you  have  given  them,  yet  the  good  you 
have  done  these  children  is  a  sufficient  reward.  Your 
influence  will  have  a  decided  effect  on  their  future.  I 
know  I  have  much  to  credit  to  you  myself.  I  feel 
better  and  stronger  for  having  seen  your  work  and 


152  SILAS  COBB 

been  with  you  this  afternoon.  I  can  better  help 
others,  now  that  you  have  helped  me." 

Miss  Alger  stood  there  full  of  suppressed  emotion  as 
she  received  the  first  really  intelligent  compliment  she 
had  ever  heard  on  her  work  from  a  man  able  to  judge. 
The  lovely  pausies  in  her  hands  shook  in  spite  of  her, 
and  the  tears  gathered  in  her  eyes.  The  man  she 
admired  and  respected  most  of  all  her  acquaintances 
had  praised  her  work.  It  seemed  worth  all  her  years 
of  labor  and  sacrifice  unnoticed,  to  hear  him,  of  all 
others,  tell  her  so.  Yet  she  tried  to  laugh  as  she  said: 
"You  are  worthy  of  these,  Mr.  Cobb,  and  I  will  pin 
them  on  your  coat  as  a  token  of  rny  great  respect  for 
you  and  appreciation  of  your  compliment.  I  prize  it 
very  much — much  more  than  you  can  imagine.  There, 
now!  and  I  will  pin  one  on  myself — decorate  myself 
with  flowers,  in  celebration  of  the  day  of  my  greatest 
happiness,  for  you  must  know,  Mr.  Cobb,  that  was 
the  first  compliment  ever  passed  on  my  work  by  a 
county  superintendent.  You  can  now  better  appre- 
ciate my  childish  delight,  for  I  have  starved  for  a 
word — only  a  word,  you  know,  of  assurance  that  I  was 
doing  right — for  many  a  long  year.  You  will  pin  it? 
if  you  please,  sir.  How  a  kind  word  changes  the 
whole  prospect  of  life — thank  you,  Mr.  Cobb,"  and 
her  trembling  little  hand  crept  into  his,  where  it  was 
sure  to  find  warmth  and  sympathy. 

At  that  moment  there  was  nothing  plain  in  her  face. 
It  was  lit  up  with  the  light  that  comes  only  from  a 
great,  loving  heart  that  feels  a  kindly  interest  in  the 
whole  human  race,  both  weak  and  strong  alike. 

"You  love  your  work,  Miss  Alger,  for  its  own  sake. 
Your  heart  is  wrapped  up  in  your  task.  That  is  why 
you  have  done  it  so  well.  All  masterpieces  in  litera- 


SILAS  COBB 

ture,  art  or  mechanics,  have  been  produced  by  men 
who  did  it  for  the  pure  love  of  doing  it.  If  one  does 
not  like  his  work,  his  success  will  be  very  mediocre. 
Time-servers  barely  eke  out  an  existence.  It  is  possi- 
ble to  develop  a  love  in  our  hearts  for  quality  which 
will  leave  us  happy  and  bring  out  all  the  good  that  is 
in  us,  even  though  our  task  be  very  humble.  I  once 
knew  a  boot-black  who  gained  a  reputation  as  wide  as 
that  of  the  governor  of  his  own  state,  only  in  a  differ- 
ent line.  He  did  not  like  shoe-polishing  at  first,  but 
he  did  his  work  fairly  well,  and  one  day  a  jolly,  good- 
hearted  traveling  man  told  him  he  did  his  work  splen- 
didly, and  if  he  would  put  more  heart  into  it  he  would 
find  many  people  who  would  appreciate  it,  and  go  out 
of  their  way  to  get  his  services.  This  encouragement 
awakened  a  new  desire,  and  new  brain  cells  were  built 
up  along  that  line  of  thought.  In  time  he  got  to  tak- 
ing the  keenest  delight  in  seeing  the  shoe  take  on  a 
glossy  surface.  His  heart  began  to  enter  into  his 
work,  and  as  it  did  a  wonderful  change  for  the  better 
took  place.  In  a  short  time  traveling  men  began  to 
take  notice  of  his  work  and  speak  about  it.  "Where 
did  you  get  that  'shine'?"  some  one  would  ask. 
"Harvey  put  that  on — the  black  boy  at  the  Capitol 
hotel.  Isn't  it  perfect?"  So  Harvey's  reputation 
spread  over  the  state,  and  as  commercial  travelers  do 
not  recognize  state  boundaries,  it  went  beyond,  and  I 
heard  him  spoken  of  often  and  made  quite  a  subject  of 
discussion  a  thousand  miles  away  from  his  town,  all 
because  he  put  his  heart  into  his  work  and  did  it  better 
than  his  fellows.  Commercial  travelers  from  all  other 
hotels,  where  there  were  boot-blacks  a  plenty  (time- 
servers),  would  go  over  to  the  Capitol  hotel  to  get 


154  SILAS  COBB 

Harvey  to  shine  their  shoes.  But  I  fear  I  am  keeping 
you  rather  late,  Miss  Alger." 

"Oh  no!  you  are  not,  Mr.  Cobb.  I  enjoy  your  talk 
ever  so  much." 

Silas  untied  his  horse,  and  turning  to  her,  laugh- 
ingly said:  "This  is  Blaze-face,  Miss  Alger,  and  I 
think  you  will  like  each  other  as  you  grow  better 
acquainted.  The  rascal  seems  to  have  a  preference  for 
the  ladies  and  apples,  especially  apples.  But  with 
these  mild  faults,  he  is  the  most  sensible  animal  in  this 
county,  so  Mr.  Boggs  says.  Come,  get  your  hat,  and 
I  will  take  you  to  your  boarding  place  so  Blaze-face 
can  show  off  his  good  points." 


CHAPTER  XXX  L 

A  FEW  weeks  after  Silas  Lad  visited  Miss  Alger's 
school  he  had  a  caller  from  that  district.  Mrs. 
Willoby  had  moved  into  the  district  the  year 
before,  and  had  entered  into  the  life  of  the  district  at 
once  with  avidity.  She  had  taught  school  back  in  the 
woods  of  Indiana  and  Ohio,  and  what  she  didn't  know 
about  the  business,  from  her  point  of  view,  wouldn't 
make  a  primer.  She  came  into  Superintendent  Cobb's 
office  with  an  air  of  importance  quite  befitting  her 
state  of  mind,  and  after  a  few  common-place  words  of 
greeting,  she  set  forth  the  object  of  her  visit: 

"Mr.  Cobb,  I  feel  it  my  duty  to  lay  before  you  the 
state  of  affairs  in  our  school.  Before  I  begin,  perhaps 
it  will  be  well  for  me  to  explain  to  you  that  I  am  an 
old  teacher,  myself.  I  have  taught  school  in  two 
states,  and  a  dozen  different  counties,  and  probably 
twenty  different  schools.  I  have  recommendations 
from  seven  county  superintendents,  and  my  work 
has  been  commended  by  hundreds  of  patrons.  My 
specially  strong  point,  if  I  have  any  one  stronger  than 
another,  is  the  proper  disciplining  along  the  lines  of 
culture  and  good  manners.  My  family  was  of  gentle 
•tock,  and  I  suppose  I  inherit  that  taste.  So  you  see, 
Mr.  Cobb,  I  am  quite  able  to  see  the  weak  points  in 
our  school,  and  I  feel  it  my  duty  to  come  to  you  at 
once,  as  there  is  no  one  else  in  our  district  really 
capable  of  making  a  clear  statement  of  the  trouble." 

Silas  had  not  taken  his  eyes  from  her  face,  and  she 
was  yet  very  favorably  impressed  with  herself  when 
she  paused  for  breath. 


156  SILAS  COBB 

"Go  on,  Mrs.  Willoby,  and  state  your  trouble,"  said 
Silas. 

''Well,  it  is  just  this,"  she  said.  "That  Miss  Alger 
has  not  been  conducting  her  school  as  she  ought  to.  I 
told  her  so  last  year,  and  Mr.  Littleman  told  me  to  tell 
her,  but  it  did  no  good  whatever.  She  just  smiled 
and  thanked  me  and  went  on  just  as  before.  I  came 
up  here  to  see  the  Professor  two  weeks  after  we  moved 
into  the  district  and  bought  our  present  farm,  and  I 
told  him  then,  in  very  plain  language,  that  I  did  not 
send  my  boy  to  school  to  learn  to  scrub  and  clean  the 
schoolgrounds.  The  very  idea  is  revolting  to  a  refined 
taste,  and  the  Professor  said  so,  too.  He  said  I  ought 
to  go  right  up  and  have  it  stopped.  I  told  the  director 
about  it,  but  he  as  good  as  insulted  me  then  and  there. 
Said  something  about  it  not  going  to  hurt  my  son  to 
learn  to  scrub,  and  I  just  turned  my  back  on  him,  and 
have  shown  him  several  times  since  that  it  doesn't  pay 
to  insult  a  lady  of  family.  What  I  want  you  to  do, 
Mr.  Cobb,  is  to  revoke  that  old  maid's  certificate,  or 
have  her  put  out  of  that  school.  I  just  won't  have  any 
such  low-down  proceedings  going  on  there.  We  own 
more  property  and  pay  more  taxes  than  any  one  else 
there,  and  ought  to  have  a  say  about  how  our  school  is 
to  be  taught." 

"Mrs.  Willoby,"  replied  Silas,  "I  am  pained  and 
surprised  to  hear  you  speak  the  way  you  have.  There 
is  not  a  sweeter  or  more  noble-minded  woman  living 
than  Miss  Alger.  If  there  ever  lived  a  person 
with  a  more  practical  and  intelligent  idea  of 
what  is  proper  in  a  schoolroom  than  she  has,  I  have 
never  had  the  pleasure  of  meeting  her.  One  or  the 
other  of  us  is  entirely  wrong  in  our  estimate  of  her 
school  work,  for  I  hold  the  highest  opinion  of  it.  She 


SILAS  COBB  157 

comes  the  nearest  to  my  ideal  teacher  of  any  one  I  ever 
knew. 

"Did  I  ever  in  my  life  hear  the  like!"  exclaimed  Mrs. 
Willoby,  now  in  a  flutter.  "I  thought  from  your 
refined  appearance,  Mr.  Cobb,  you  would  be  a  man  of 
refined  tastes.  I  am  perfectly  amazed!" 

"My  dear  Mrs.  Willoby,"  replied  Silas,  rather 
seriously,  looking  her  straight  in  the  eyes,  "our  stand- 
ards are  different,  that  is  all.  You  ought  not  to 
trouble  yourself  over  that.  Your  ideals  are  not  like 
mine,  so,  of  course,  we  cannot  appreciate  the  same 
things.  I  do  not  feel  amazed  by  your  insinuation  that 
I  am  coarse  in  my  tastes,  because  I  see  you  honestly 
believe  that.  We  must  learn  to  be  patient  with  one 
another.  You  have  not  understood  Miss  Alger  at  all. 
Her  high  ideals  and  motives  are  easily  discovered  if 
you  look  for  them.  I  fear,  Mi's.  Willoby,  you  have 
only  seen  what  seem  to  be  faults,  and  have  made  them 
so  large  that  you  cannot  see  her  virtues.  Now,  to  take 
up  the  criticism  you  offer,  let  us  consider  the  aim  of 
education.  You  mentioned  one  of  the  cardinal  points 
yourself,  one  in  which,  you  say  you  have  obtained  pro- 
ficiency. No  one  can  attach  too  much  importance  to 
the  culture  of  the  mind,  as  to  matters  of  social  relations 
among  men.  But  that  is  not  the  only  important 
feature.  The  child  should  be  taught  to  do  well  every- 
thing he  does,  or  will  have  to  do  in  after  life.  Miss 
Alger  not  only  teaches  the  matter  pertaining  to  text- 
books, but  she  teaches  neatness  and  accuracy  in  every 
act  of  the  pupil.  He  is  taught  cleanliness,  both  in 
person  and  surroundings.  This  you  seem  to  object  to. 
Your  school  board  does  not  pay  for  a  janitor.  Miss 
Alger  is  perfectly  willing  to  do  the  janitor's  work,  but 
she  has  adopted  a  method  of  having  her  pupils  assist 


158  SILAS  COBB 

her,  and  even  this  she  works  into  a  valuable  lesson, 
and  makes  it  seem  like  play  to  the  children.  She  is  so 
careful  in  keeping  the  schoolroom  neat  and  clean  that 
the  pupils  acquire,  after  a  few  years,  such  tastes  along 
those  lines  that  the  effect  can  be  noticed  at  home  by 
the  general  appearance  of  the  premises.  I  have  partic- 
ularly noticed  this  in  No.  6.  Miss  Alger  has  taught 
that  school  nearly  four  years,  and  I  assure  you  I  can 
tell  when  driving  through  that  neighborhood  just 
where  the  boundaries  of  No.  6  begin  and  end  by  the 
neatly  kept  farmyards  and  houses.  Miss  Alger  not 
only  keeps  her  own  premises  looking  well,  but  she 
inspires  the  children  to  see  that  things  are  kept  nice  at 
home.  Now  you  will  pardon  me,  I  am  sure,  Mrs. 
Willoby,  for  making  a  personal  application  in  this 
case.  I  do  it  with  the  kindest  intent,  for  I  want  to 
bring  you  and  Miss  Alger  together.  Such  talented 
women  as  you  are  ought  to  work  together.  Now,  to 
go  on.  You  have  not  lived  in  No.  6  yet  one  year,  and 
four  mouths  of  that  was  during  vacation  time.  I 
passed  through  the  neighborhood  a  few  weeks  ago,  and 
was  particularly  attracted  by  the  neat  appearance  of 
the  barnyards  and  the  grassy  lawns  around  the  houses. 
All  of  it  could  be  traced  to  the  efforts  of  Miss  Alger's 
pupils.  They  come  home  from  school  and  see  to  it 
themselves  that  rubbish  and  pieces  of  board  are 
gathered  up  and  burned,  or  put  out  of  sight.  They 
mend  broken  fences  and  walks,  and  keep  down  the 
weeds.  This  the  pupils  do  as  a  matter  of  pride.  It  is 
a  little  bit  of  disgrace  for  a  pupil  to  live  with  such 
signs  of  carelessness  around  him.  As  I  drove  on  I 
saw  quite  a  number  of  homes  almost  perfectly  kept, 
considering  the  opportunity,  but  at  last  I  came  to  one 
that  showed  signs  of  much  neglect.  I  said  to  myself, 


SILAS  COBB 


159 


'This  must  be  No.  5.'  It  did  not  look  like  a  home 
where  an  Alger  boy  or  girl  lived.  The  barn-yard  was 
littered  up  with  sticks,  pieces  of  boards,  an  old  broken 
hay-rake,  a  broken  plow,  and  various  other  rubbish 
common  to  most  barn-yards  outside  of  No.  6.  The 


"J  came  to  one  that  showed  signs  of  much  neglect.'' 

lawn  around  the  house  had  patches  of  weeds  in  it,  and 
a  broken  slat  or  two  could  be  seen  in  the  fence.  The 
walk  was  also  broken  and  out  of  repair.  In  short,  no 
Alger  boy  lived  there,  I  thought.  But  to  my  surprise, 
Mrs.  Willoby,  and  I  hope  you  will  pardon  my  seeming 
rudeness  in  mentioning  it;  this  place,  as  you  no  doubt 
have  recognized,  was  your  own,  and  your  boy,  whom 
you  think  above  learning  to  scrub  and  clean  up  his 


160  SILAS  COBB 

own  litter  at  school,  lives  daily  in  these  surroundings 
unconscious  of  them,  because,  in  my  opinion,  you  have 
over-shadowed  Miss  Alger's  influence  over  him.  Now 
what  I  hope  is  that  you  will  go  yourself,  and  look  at 
Miss  Alger's  school.  Just  stay  a  day  and  watch  them 
work  heart  and  soul  at  whatever  they  are  set  to  do. 
You  cannot  help  seeing  the  far-reaching  influence  of 
her  methods.  I  have  seen  them  everywhere.  You 
have  lost  their  effect  because  you  have  misunderstood 
Miss  Alger,  and  I  hope  you  will  see  for  yourself  that 
these  things  I  tell  you  ai-e  true." 

By  this  time  Mrs.  Willoby  was  left  stranded  in  a 
perfect  calm.  What  could  she  say,  and  how  could  she 
answer  him?  She  knew  her  place  was  just  as  he  had 
described  it,  and  she  remembered  having  asked  her  hus- 
band one  day,  as  they  drove  to  Cowville,  why  other 
people  had  such  pretty  places  who  didn't  have  half  the 
wealth  they  had.  But  she  had  never  dreamed  that  all 
this  was  due  to  Miss  Alger's  school.  She  could  not 
feel  hurt  toward  Mr.  Cobb,  because  he  was  so  kind  and 
considerate  and  honest;  yet  it  all  hurt  her  pride.  She 
wanted  him  to  think  her  gentle  and  well-bred.  She 
had  told  him  she  was.  She  must  live  up  to  it,  so  she 
said:  "Mr.  Cobb,  I  am  very  glad  to  have  had  you  talk 
this  way  to  me.  It  has  hurt  me  a  little — my  pride,  I 
suppose,  but  I  am  going  to  visit  the  school  and  see  for 
myself,  as  you  suggested.  If  you  are  not  mistaken,  I 
have  surely  misjudged  the  effect  of  her  methods." 

That  ended  the  matter.  The  next  time  Silas  heard 
from  No.  6,  Mrs.  Willoby  and  Miss  Alger  were  friends, 
and  Willoby's  back-yard,  as  well  as  front,  had  been 
cleaned,  and  the  last  eyesore  of  No.  6  had  been  removed. 


CHAPTER  XXXH. 

CONDITIONS  change  so  rapidly  in  this  country 
that  a  man  of  middle  age  often  finds  himself 
marveling  at  the  great  stride  of  progress  made 
since  he  was  a  boy.  Even  Brush  county,  Illinois,  can- 
not now  boast  of  a  school  like  the  one  Andy  Weaver 
taught  down  on  Brush  Creek,  back  in  the  ''eighties." 
It  was  one  of  the  old-fashioned,  rough-and-ready  schools 
that  delighted  in  locking  out  the  teacher  and  keeping 
him  out  until  the  demand  for  a  treat  of  some  kind  was 
granted.  It  took  more  muscle  than  brains  to  teach  such 
a  school,  and  the  contest  was  never  a  one-sided  affair. 
The  combats  often  ended  in  the  teacher  being  thrown 
out  and  given  a  good  pounding  by  the  big  boys  of  the 
school.  During  the  winter  that  Andy  Weaver  took 
the  school  in  hand,  some  of  these  rough  lads  had  in- 
dulged this  taste  to  extremes,  and  had  thrown  out  two 
teachers  in  as  many  months,  which  was  sufficient  to 
arouse  the  school  board  to  action.  They  seemed  not  to 
bother  themselves  about  one  teacher  being  thrown  out, 
but  when  two  of  their  selection  had  been  ruthlessly 
turned  out  into  the  cold  world,  the  board  sent  for  Andy 
Weaver  with  an  honest  intention  of  checking  the  dis- 
turbances. Yet,  it  is  a  fact,  the  whole  neighborhood, 
with  a  few  exceptions,  took  some  pride  in  the  strength 
and  prowess  of  these  rough  lads.  The  school  board 
employed  teachers  on  a  principle  foreign  t3  the  true 
theory  of  what  a  teacher  ought  to  be.  They  asked  no 
questions  about  his  qualifications  intellectually,  but 
they  examined  him  critically  on  his  physical  strength 
and  courage.  No  woman  had  ever  been  employed  so 
far  as  any  one  knew.  What  could  a  woman  do  with 


162  SILAS  COBB 

such  a  school?  They  must  have  a  man.  and  a  big  one 
at  that,  or  they  would  have  no  school. 

The  last  two  teachers  had  given  up  the  work  after  a 
HftJnth's  trial  each,  and  finally  the  board  employed  Andy 
Weaver  to.  begin  where  the  last  teacher  left  off.  He 
came  to  them  highly  recommended  for  courage  and 
strength,  though  he  was  not  a  large  man  by  any  means. 

The  first  day  started  off  very  nicely,  and  Andy  began 
to  feel  that  the  school  was  not  so  bad  after  all.  At 
noon  he  had  a  very  nice  chat  with  Bill  Green,  the 
leader  and  three  or  four  of  his  associates,  the  boys  all 
as  large  as  Mr.  Weaver,  and  from  seventeen  to  twenty 
years  old. 

The  afternoon  recess  came  on  before  any  inkling  of 
trouble  showed  itself.  The  smaller  children  naturally 
looked  on  Bill  Green  as  a  hero,  because  he  had  thrown 
out  two  former  teachers,  so  they  began  to  wonder  if 
Bill  wasn't  afraid  of  the  new  one.  The  truth  was  he 
had  rather  taken  a  liking  to  Mr.  Weaver,  who  had  come 
up  to  him  at  recess  and  slapped  him  on  the  back,  say- 
ing: "Well,  William,  how  are  you  any  way,  and 
what  are  you  going  to  do  next  summer?"  This  was  a 
good  start.  He  liked  Weaver  for  that  rough,  hearty 
slap.  He  seemed  like  a  good  fellow,  and  not  like  the 
two  girl-boys  he  had  thrown  out  of  the  house. 

But  the  little  "brats,"  as  Bill  called  the  children, 
spoiled  it  all.  One  little  fellow,  nicknamed  "Dirty- 
face,"  came  up  with  the  taunt,  "Ye'r  afeard  of  the  new 
teacher,  ain't  ye,  Bill?"  Then  to  avoid  a  cuff  that  was 
sure  to  follow,  he  dodged  around  a  group  of  girls  and 
got  away,  but  yelled  back  over  their  heads,  "Bill's 
afeard!  Bill's  afeard!  Looky!  Bill's  afeard!"  The  girls 
joined  the  boys  in  their  teasing  and  loud  laughter  at 
Bill's  expense. 


SILAS  COBB  163 

'Manda  Brown  said,  "I  jist  hope  Bill  will  git  a  good 
poundin',  and  teacher  kin  do  it  too.  Bill  knows  it. 
That's  why  he  keeps  so  still." 

"Bill  don't  know  it,  nuther,"  retorted  that  young 
man.  "I  kin  jist  tell  ye  now  that  no  sich  little  thing 
as  that  teacher  is  kin  lick  me." 

"Lis'n  at  'im  talk,"  yelled  little  "Dirty-face"  from  a 
safe  distance.  "Ain't  he  brave?  Ain't  he  a  buster? 
Teacher  '11  take  him  across  his  lap  and  spank  Billy 
shore  for  that  big  talk.  He'll — "  but  he  had  to  dodge 
around  the  corner  of  the  house  to  escape  a  board  Bill 
had  hurled  at  him,  so  the  sentence  was  unfinished. 

Bill's  chums  joined  in  the  wrangle,  and  declared  that 
the  teacher  would  have  his  hands  full  to  lick  all  four  of 
them. 

These  four  large  boys  bullied  the  remainder  of  the 
pupils  so  much  that  they  had  alienated  their  sympathy. 

Mr.  Weaver  had  overheard  all  this  talk  and  was 
growing  uneasy,  and  concluded  he  had  better  change 
the  conversation,  so  he  put  on  his  hat  and  went  out. 
As  he  did  so  he  called  to  the  boys  that  were  lined  up 
against  the  schoolhouse,  and  said,  "Can't  we  have  a 
good  run,  boys, before  I  call  school?  What's  the  matter 
with  a  game  of  pull-away?  William,  let  you  and  me 
stand  the  whole  school;  what  do  you  say?"  Everybody 
was  delighted  and  gathered  around  the  teacher  talking, 
laughing  and  jostling  each  other.  Bill  came  up  last, 
rather  reluctantly,  and  said,  "Guess  we  can  stau'  'em 
all  right." 

Then  they  took  their  places  on  the  base  and  the 
whole  school  took  the  other  base.  The  rush  began,  and 
Bill  tore  down  through  the  crowd  like  a  hurricane, 
catching  some  half  dozen  medium-sized  boys  and  girls, 
but  missing  the  big  boys,  his  chums.  The  next  rush 


164  SILAS  COBB 

cleaned  out  all  the  little  fellows,  then  began  a  race  for 
the  ringleaders.  They  could  run,  and  while  Bill  was  a 
master  in  the  wrestle  or  combats  with  the  fist,  he  was 
not  a  match  for  some  of  the  boys  in  a  race.  He  could 
knock  down  more  of  the  little  fellows  in  a  rush  when 
the  crowd  was  thick,  but  he  was  too  awkward  to  head 
off  the  lithe  fellows.  So  it  took  four  rushes  to  catch 
the  four  big  boys,  and  Mr.  Weaver  caught  them  all. 
Bill  fell  down  twice  in  dodging  after  Henry  Sweet,  and 
caught  nothing  but  a  handful  of  sod  where  he  measured 
his  length  on  the  ground.  Weaver  thought  this  object 
lesson  of  his  prowess  on  the  playground  would  have  a 
good  effect,  and  it  did  on  the  three  chums  of  Bill. 
Each  felt  his  wiry  grip  when  he  caught  them,  especially 
Henry  Sweet,  who  tried  to  break  away.  The  teacher 
pinned  him  so  tightly  in  his  arms  he  could  scarcely 
breathe.  This  awed  him,  for  he  saw  he  had  met  his 
master.  But  Bill  was  sore  at  heart.  He  had  not  for- 
gotten the  taunts  of  "Dirty -face,"  and  now  to  set  an 
example  before  the  school  of  letting  the  teacher  catch 
all  the  big  boys  didn't  help  matters  any.  He  felt  mean 
and  ugly;  yet  as  they  went  into  the  house  Mr.  Weaver 
took  hold  of  Bill's  arm  as  they  walked,  and  laughing, 
said:  "Bill,  we  are  too  much  for  them,  aren't  we?  But 
I  never  could  have  caught  armsful  of  those  little  fellows 
like  you  did.  I  declare,  I  believe  you  caught  six  in 
those  big  arms  of  yours  at  one  time.  My!  but  you  have 
a  muscle  there,  Bill,"  and  as  he  said  it  he  felt  of  his 
muscle,  and  closed  down  on  it  with  such  force  that  Bill 
came  near  screaming  out  with  pain.  "Say,  but  I  wish 
I  had  an  arm  like  that." 

This  little  incident  did  two  things  to  Bill.  The  first 
was  to  make  him  feel  better  and  think  the  teacher  a 
pretty  good  fellow,  and  the  other  was  the  sore  feeling 


SILAS  COBB 


165 


about  that  muscle  which  made  him  respect  the  teacher's 
grip. 

So  he  took  his  seat — the  back  one,  which  he  always 
took  by  force  each  winter  when  he  started  to  school — 
feeling  better  and  happier.  He  took  out  his  slate  and 
began  to  "cipher,"  and  after  a  few  minutes'  work  he 


"  Ye'r  afeard,  Bill,  ain't  ye?    Fd  hate  V  be  a  coward." 

happened  to  look  up  and  saw  "Dirty-face"  looking  back 
at  him,  grinning  like  a  little  devil,  which  he  really  was, 
and  heard  him  whisper,  "Ye'r  afeard,  Bill,  ain't  ye? 
I'd  hate  t'  be  a  coward." 

Bill  wanted  to  kill  him  then  and  there,  and  the  only 
way  he  could  satisfy  his  anger  was  to  hurl  a  spelling 
book,  which  hit  "Dirty-face"  squarely  in  the  back  of 
the  head  and  flew  off  on  the  floor. 


166  SILAS  COBB 

Mr.  Weaver  saw  the  whole  performance  out  of  the 
corner  of  his  eye,  and  heard  "Dirty-face"  taunt  him, 
but  he  hoped  to  pass  the  day  without  a  fight.  If  he 
could  have  a  few  days  he  felt  he  would  be  able  to 
handle  the  boys  without  the  rod.  But  this  was  not 
destined  to  come  to  pass.  The  entire  school  knew  Bill 
had  thrown  the  book,  and  as  the  teacher  had  said 
nothing  about  it,  their  confidence  in  him  rather  weak- 
ened, and  they  began  to  feel  a  little  pride  in  Bill,  and 
envy  him  his  ability  to  do  as  he  pleased.  Even 
"Dirty-face"  began  to  feel  he  wasn't  a  coward,  and 
his  respect  for  him  grew.  Bill  felt  that  he  had  made 
a  reputation  for  himself,  and  began  to  feel  the  change 
that  was  creeping  over  the  school.  'Manda  Brown 
smiled  at  him,  and  Henry  Sweet  looked  around  with 
pride.  Even  "Dirty-face"  changed  front  and  began  to 
glory  in  Bill's  courage  to  do  a  thing  like  that  in 
"school-time."  Things  were  going  from  bad  to  worse. 
Insubordination  was  creeping  out  all  over  the  school. 
Things  too  small  to  be  noticed  at  first,  grew  and  kept 
growing  until  the  climax  was  reached  when  the  teacher 
called  the  first  spelling  class.  "Dirty-face"  was  a 
member  of  this  class,  but  he  sat  insolently  in  his  seat, 
and  when  he  was  asked  by  the  teacher  why  he  didn't 
come  to  the  class,  he  replied,  "Not  goiu'  t'  spell 
t'-night." 

"Oh,  yes  you  are,  Edward  (alias  "Dirty-face"). 
Come  on  now  and  take  your  place.  We  want  to  have 
a  good  class  to-day,  and  I  fear  it  would  not  be  com- 
plete without  you.  Come  along  now,  quickly,"  said 
the  teacher. 

"Said  I'se  not  goin'  t'  spell  t'-night.  So  there, 
now!"  replied  "Dirty-face." 


SILAS  COBB  167 

"I  hope  you  won't  make  me  come  after  you, 
Edward?" 

''Ye  kin  come  ef  ye  want  t'.  Nobody's  holdin'  ye 
back  I  guess." 

Mr.  Weaver  got  up  and  walked  back  to  Edward's 
seat  and  took  hold  of  his  arm  to  take  him  out,  but 
Edward  commenced  to  fight  and  scratch  like  a  cat.  In 
the  midst  of  th«  scuffle  the  teacher  got  him  out  of  his 
seat,  and  as  he  glanced  up  he  saw  Bill  get  out  of  his 
seat,  and  heard  him  call  out,  "Let  him  alone.  Ye 
needn't  think  ye  can  run  this  here  school.  Ye  can't 
do  it."  He  came  forward  in  anger,  with  up-lifted 
hand.  As  Bill  came  on  two  other  big  boys  joined 
him.  Andy  stooped  down  and  picked  up  a  small 
round  stick  of  wood  that  lay  by  the  stove,  and  very 
quietly  said:  "You  boys  sit  down,  at  once,"  and 
as  he  talked  he  held  "Dirty-face"  by  the  collar  with 
his  left  hand,  and  was  ready  to  meet  the  boys  with  the 
stick  of  stove  wood  in  his  right.  But  Bill  was  no 
coward,  either,  and  had  had  experience  in  throwing 
out  teachers  larger,  or  as  large  as  Andy  Weaver  was, 
so  he  came  on  and  struck  out  viciously  at  Andy's  head. 
His  blow  was  parried,  and  the  next  instant  that  stick 
of  wood  came  down  across  Bill's  temple,  and  he  went 
down  in  a  heap  on  the  floor,  but  he  had  scarcely  been 
struck  when  the  other  two  boys"  were  raining  blows 
onto  the  teacher.  The  children  were  screaming  with 
fright,  and  standing  in  their  seats.  It  took  just  about 
three  or  four  seconds  for  Andy  to  pound  the  other 
boys  into  submission  and  into  their  seats.  Both  of 
them  had  blackened  eyes  and  mashed  noses,  and  blood 
was  flowing  freely.  It  was  indeed  a  "rough  house." 
Bill  had  not  yet  revived  when  Andy  had  both  the  boys 
back  in  their  seats  begging  for  mercy.  He  ordered  the 


168  SILAS  COBB 

children  to  get  down  into  their  seats  and  stop  scream-, 
ing.  Then  he  looked  at  Bill,  who  had  now  raised  on 
his  elbow.  He  took  him  by  the  arm  and  said  kindly, 
"Come,  Will,  old  fellow,  and  let  me  help  you  up.  Are 
you  hurt  much?"  Bill  made  no  reply.  He  helped  him 
up  and  onto  a  seat.  The  blood  was  running  in  a  stream 
from  a  deep  cut  across  the  side  of  his  head.  Andy 
took  the  basin  and  filled  it  with  cold  water  and  began 
bathing  the  wound  with  his  pocket  handkerchief.  His 
hands  were  tender  and  his  voice  soothing  as  he  worked 
and  talked  to  Bill.  "It's  not  bad,  Will,  only  a  cut. 
The  skin  is  cut  clean,  which  accounts  for  so  much 
blood.  You  will  be  all  right  in  a  day  or  so,  and  then 
we  will  get  along  in  good  shape."  Bill  was  pale  and 
did  not  feel  like  talking,  but  he  started  to  say  some- 
thing, when  some  one  rapped  at  the  door,  and  the  last 
visitor  on  earth  whom  Andy  wanted  to  come  at  such  a 
moment  stood  on  the  threshold.  It  was  Silas  Cobb. 

Andy  stood  with  a  basin  of  water  in  one  hand  and 
his  handkerchief  in  the  other.  The  use  he  was  mak- 
ing of  these  articles  Silas  was  not  slow  in  discerning. 
One  boy  sat  pale  and  weak,  with  a  cut  across  his 
temple,  the  blood  \viped  off.  The  other  two  boys  had 
blood  all  over  their  faces  and  hands,  which  Silas 
reasoned  Andy  had  not  yet  got  around  to. 

"Good-afternoon,  Mr.  Weaver.  I  am  glad  to  see 
you."  He  seemed  not  in  the  least  surprised,  which 
rather  surprised  Andy. 

"Good-afternoon,  Mr.  Cobb.  I  am  sorry  you  catch 
me  engaged  in  an  occupation  I  am  not  exactly  iised  to, 
but  it  can't  be  helped.  Please  take  my  chair,  and 
excuse  me  a  few  moments." 

"Oh,  just  go  right  on,  Mr.  Weaver,  with  your  work. 
Don't  mind  me.  I  am  a  visitor,  and  like  to  see  things 


SILAS  COBB 


169 


just  as  they  are.  I  will  amuse  myself  with  these  girls 
over  here.  How  do  you  do,  girls,"  and  at  this  Andy 
turned  and  said,  "Pupils,  this  is  Superintendent  Cobb, 
whom  we  are  glad  to  welcome  to  our  school."  [The 
sign  "God  Bless  Our  School,"  was  nailed  to  the  wall 


"Andy  stood  with  a  basin  of  water  in  one  hand  and  his 
handkerchief  in  the  other." 

over  the  teacher's  desk.]  The  pupils  had  half  sus- 
pected who  it  was,  and  his  presence  relieved  the 
intense  excitement,  for  he  at  onc£  set  about  to  distract 
their  attention.  He  had  heard  about  the  trouble  the 
school  had  been  making,  so  he  had  come  out  on  pur- 
pose to  examine  into  it  right  at  the  beginning  of  Mr. 


170  SILAS  COBB 

Weaver's  term.  He  walked  down  the  aisle,  talking  to 
the  pupils  in  a  light  vein,  just  as  if  he  had  always  been 
there,  and  when  he  got  to  the  front  at  the  teacher's 
desk,  he  turned  around  and  told  them  a  pretty  story 
that  was  full  of  fun,  and  in  a  little  while  the  whole 
school,  except  the  belligerents,  were  laughing  heartily. 
In  the  meantime,  Andy  was  bathing  bruised  heads. 
When  his  task  was  done  he  came  forward  and,  as  it 
was  four  o'clock,  he  dismissed  the  school,  after  Super- 
intendent Cobb  had  finished  his  remarks.  Nothing, 
however,  was  said  about  the  fight. 

After  the  pupils  were  gone  Andy  told  Silas  all  the 
details,  and  assured  him  if  he  had  had  another  day  or 
so  he  thought  he  might  have  won,  but  Edward  (Dirty- 
face)  had  brought  the  matter  to  a  focus  at  once,  and  he 
had  won  a  victory  with  a  stick  of  wood,  which  he 
hoped  would  bring  about  a  long  reign  of  peace. 

"Well,"  said  Silas,  "I  hope  it  will.  If  the  parents 
do  their  duty  now,  we  won't  have  any  more  trouble. 
But  if  they  take  the  matter  up  and  begin  war  on  you, 
nothing  has  been  gained.  Of  course  it  is  very  bad  and 
grates  on  one's  feelings  to  have  scenes  like  these 
enacted  in  a  schoolroom,  but  I  declare,  Mr.  Weaver, 
though  I  deplore  it,  I  don't  know  how  you  could  have 
done  differently.  This  district  has  had  no  school  to 
speak  of  for  years.  This  boy,  Green,  is  a  bully  and 
the  people  have  helped  to  make  him  so.  Some  one 
might  have  handled  them  but  this  is  not  proven.  At 
any  rate,  I  am  sure  I  would  have  had  to  use  your 
method.  But  I  know  of  a  girl,  Andy,  who  I  think 
would  manage  them  without  the  rod.  She  is  the 
greatest  character  I  ever  saw  in  a  schoolroom.  You 
know  her,  Josephine  Alger,  don't  you?" 


SILAS  COBB  m 

"Ob,  yes,"  I  know  Miss  Alger  well.  She  is 
tplendid." 

"I  feel  it  so  strongly,  Andy,  that  if  there  were 
enough  like  her  to  fill  all  the  schools,  you  and  I  would 
do  well  for  our  country  by  turning  our  attention  to 
something  else.  Yet  you  and  I  need  not  be  discour- 
aged. We  are  not  the  worst  by  any  means.  I  only 
know  of  one  Miss  Alger,  so  you  see  I  still  have  a  high 
opinion  of  ourselves,"  he  finished,  laughing. 

Andy  reverted  to  the  Greens.  That  name  had  vast 
possibilities  in  it.  Old  Bill  Green  was  a  terror. 
Everybody  said  young  Bill  was  a  chip  from  the  old 
block.  So  Andy  asked:  "Won't  old  Mr.  Green  come 
down  to-morrow  and  attempt  to  do  what  his  son  failed 
to  do  to-day?" 

"I  think  he  will,"  replied  Silas  seriously.  "It  is 
just  like  him  to  do  that  very  thing.  He  is  very  proud 
of  the  family  record  as  fighters." 

"Well  then,  I  am  done  for  if  he  does,"  answered 
Andy,  dejectedly. 

"I  think,  Andy,  you  had  better  get  in  the  buggy 
with  me  now,  and  I  will  take  you  up  to  old  Mr. 
Green's  place,  aud  save  him  a  trip  down  here.  If  you 
must  be  thrashed,"  he  said  with  a  laugh,  "I  will  ref- 
eree the  fight,  or  act  as  your  second."  Andy  laughed 
weakly,  and  put  on  his  overcoat  and  hat.  They  set 
out  for  Green's  place  aud  when  they  got  there  the  old 
man  was  feeding  the  sheep  in  a  little  pasture  near  the 
barn.  Young  Bill  had  been  home  over  an  hour,  but 
was  not  able  to  do  his  chores,  and  his  father  had  to 
take  his  place.  When  he  saw  the  buggy  at  the  barn 
gate,  he  came  out  and  as  he  drew  near  he  saw  who  it 
was. 

"Oh,     it's    you,    is    it,    Mister    Cobb,   and   Mister 


if  a  SILAS  COBB 

Weaver,  too?     Howdy  do  gentlemen!    Won't  ye  drive 
in  a  while?     Supper's  'bout  ready." 

"No,  Mr.  Green,  we  can't  stop  but  a  few  minutes. 
I  thought  you  would  enjoy  a  good,  hearty  laugh  with 
me  over  the  little  episode  that  happened  down  at  the 
schoolhouse  this  afternoon,  so  I  couldn't  resist  driving 
by  and  seeing  you.  Did  Bill  tell  you  about  what  a 
trouncing  he  got  to-day,  he  and  two  or  three  other 
boys?" 

"You  bet  he  did,  that  is,  the  gal  told  it.  Bill  ain't 
said  much  'bout  it.  He's  badly  cut  up,  I  kin  tell  ye. 
How  did  ye  do  that  anyhow,  Mister  Weaver,  when 
ye're  so  little?  I  fully  'spected  the  boys  'ud  throw  ye 
out  and  told  that  school  board  so,  but  ye've  shorely 
spiled  Bill  fer  doin'  chores  fer  a  week,  which  is  the 
only  thing  I  kere  fer.  Don't  think  I  ever  saw  Bill 
'pear  so  weak  as  he  does  to-night.  He's  feelin'  bad,  I 
guess." 

"Well,  I  am  very  sorry  about  it,  Mr.  Green,  and  if 
I  could  have  avoided  it  I  would.  But  there  was  no 
hope  for  it  when  they  pitched  on  to  me.  I  had  to  fight 
hard  or  go  under,  and  I  felt  your  school  would  be 
ruined  unless  I  mastered  those  boys  at  once.  I  have 
the  boys  all  right  now,  and  if  the  parents  will  keep 
hands  off  I  can  promise  you  a  good  school." 

"Ye  can  bet  yer  life  the  parents  'ill  keep  hands  off. 
Let  any  of  'em  try  puttin'  hands  on  ye,  an'  I'll  show 
'em  how  it's  done.  Ye've  done  right.  Ye  saved  me 
havia'  to  lick  Bill  myself.  He's  so  stuck-up  since  he 
throwed  out  them  other  two  teachers,  he  thinks  he  can 
handle  me.  Glad  ye  licked  him,  Mr.  Weaver.  Lick 
him  often  and  ye'll  have  my  blessin's." 
•  This  point  of  view  was  a  great  surprise  to  both  Silas 
and  Andy,  and  as  they  drove  away  they  decided  the 


SILAS  COBB 

war  was  in  fact  over.  The  others  would  take  the  cue 
from  old  Bill  Green  and  no  more  trouble  need  be 
looked  for. 

If  Silas  Cobb  had  not  referred  to  the  matter  as  a 
huge  joke  in  old  man  Green's  presence,  there  is  not 
the  least  doubt  of  his  joining  hands  with  Bill  to  make 
war  on  the  teacher.  The  fact  that  Superintendent 
Cobb  and  Weaver  took  him  into  the  joke,  made  him  a 
fast  friend  and  supporter  of  the  school. 

Bill  did  not  come  to  school  again  for  a  week,  and  he 
came  then  only  after  Andy  had  called  three  times  to 
visit  him.  On  these  visits  the  teacher  made  a  special 
poiut  of  giving  the  boy  new  light  on  the  subject  of 
how  to  meet  "Dirty-face's"  taunts.  He  was  brought  to 
see  the  teacher's  side  of  the  subject  and  to  see  how 
foolish  it  was  to  let  a  little  boy  lead  him  on  to  doing 
wrong.  It  was  a  weakness  and  not  a  strength.  A 
young  man  with  his  great  physical  strength  and  cour- 
age should  not  be  afraid  of  being  called  a  coward.  He 
should  fear  that  as  little  as  he  did  a  physical  combat  if 
he  would  be  a  good  all-around  strong  man. 

The  result  of  this  argument  brought  Bill  to  school 
one  morning.  He  and  the  teacher  walked  along  to- 
gether, and  often  during  the  term  Bill  would  walk  a 
half  mile  out  of  his  way  in  order  to  have  the  pleasure 
of  Andy's  company.  While  he  was  a  thick-headed  boy> 
speaking  from  a  mental  point,  yet  the  influence  of  those 
walks  and  talks  kindled  the  smallest  spark  of  ambition 
in  him.  One  thing  that  especially  appealed  to  him  was 
Andy's  wonderful  stories  of  the  great  West,  where 
young  men  became  prominent  and  rich  if  they  only 
used  their  talents  in  the  right  direction.  He  must  first 
earn  to  control  himself,  and  get  an  education,  then  he 
would  have  a  show  of  winning  a  place. 


174  SILAS  COBB 

The  boys  of  that  school  grew  up  and  most  of  them 
are  now  men  with  families,  and  while  Bill  never  would 
nor  could  be  a  brilliant  man,  yet  he  did  learn  a  great 
deal  from  Andy  Weaver  that  winter,  and  the  spark  that 
was  struck  in  his  sluggish  mind  grew  in  brightness, 
and  it  led  him  out  of  Brush  Creek  one  fine  day  and  far 
away  to  the  West  to  test  Andy's  stories.  And  it  came 
to  pass  that  he  was  chosen  deputy  sheriff  and  later  sher- 
iff of  a  frontier  county  in  Colorado,  lie  is  a  fail- 
sheriff,  too,  and  fills  the  office  creditably.  His  position 
is  not  of  much  importance  in  the  eye  of  the  average 
young  man,  but  to  Bill  it  is  a  mighty  altitude  of  great- 
ness. He  writes  back  to  his  parents  on  Brush  Creek 
many  wonderful  stories  of  his  operations  in  the  West, 
and  old  Bill  Green  spends  his  odd  moments  relating 
and  embellishing  the  principal  events  to  his  neighbors. 
He  is  now  a  hei-o  and  worshipped  as  such  by  all  the 
Creek  boys  who  went  to  school  with  him. 

It  is  only  fair  to  Mr.  Weaver  to  say  that  Bill  gives 
him  due  credit  for  having  opened  his  eyes  to  the  ad- 
vantages of  "eddication."  He  says  any  boy  can  do 
what  he  has  done  if  he  will  take  Andy  Weaver's  advice 
and  "behave  hisself."  But  after  all  his  weakness,  he 
is  a  great  improvement  on  his  immediate  ancestry;  all 
of  which  shows  that  effort  is  not  wasted,  though  it  be 
spent  on  such  as  Bill  Green. 


CHAPTEE  XXXIII. 

ONE  day  late  in  October,  Silas  got  an  invitation 
from  Professor  Flick,  of  Terre  Haute,  to  attend 
a  banquet  to  be  given  there  on  the  following 
Saturday  night  in  honor  of  a  visiting  educator  from 
some  distant  state.  He  accepted  the  invitation  and 
when  he  stepped  off  the  train  at  Terre  Haute,  Profes- 
sor Flick  was  there  to  meet  him  and  took  him  to  his 
rooms  in  a  large,  rambling  brick  house,  set  back  from 
the  street  among  many  old  trees.  After  spending  a 
very  pleasant  hour  chatting  over  current  topics  of  inter- 
est, they  came  down  to  a  general  discussion  of  the  Nor- 
mal school,  of  whose  faculty  Mr.  Flick  was  a  member. 

"By  the  way,  Mr.  Cobb,  I  have  just  gotten  a  very 
bright  young  lady  a  place  to  "wait  tables"  here  in  our 
dining-room  to  help  her  along  in  her  work.  She  was 
such  an  aristocratic  looking  lady  that  I  was  amazed 
when  she  inquired  if  I  knew  where  she  could  get  such 
a  place,  for  she  said  she  couldn't  remain  the  whole  year 
unless  she  could  do  something  like  that  to  help  pay 
expenses." 

Just  then  a  little  bell  was  rung  summoning  them  to 
supper.  They  went  down  stairs  and  entered  a  large 
dining-room,  nicely  furnished.  None  of  the  other 
boarders  had  yet  arrived,  so  Silas  and  Mr.  Flick  had 
the  entire  room  to  themselves.  They  were  interested 
in  a  discussion  of  some  kind  and  did  not  notice  the 
young  lady  who  came  in  to  take  their  supper  order 
until  she  was  standing  at  Mr.  Flick's  elbow.  Silas  did 
not  glance  up,  but  as  soon  as  she  spoke,  he  pushed  back 
his  chair  and  rose  to  his  feet  facing  the  young  lady, 
who  now  looked  around  rather  surprised  at  his  move- 


if*  SILAS  COBB 

ment.  It  was  Julia  Howe.  She  stood  looking  at  him 
in  perfect  astonishment,  and  the  Professor  now  became 
interested  as  a  spectator.  Without  a  particle  of  surprise 
showing  in  his  face,  Silas  held  out  his  hand  to  her. 

"Why,  how  do  you  do,  Miss  Howe?  I  am  delighted 
to  see  you,"  and  his  face  didn't  give  him  the  lie  either. 
She  was  so  surprised  she  could  scarcely  control  herself 
to  speak,  so  in  order  to  relieve  her  embarrassment  and 
the  Professor's  surprise,  he  turned  to  him  and  said, 
"This  is  one  of  my  Brush  county  teachers,  Mr.  Flick, 
and  a  friend  of  mine  from  childhood.  I  am  very  glad 
to  know  you  two  are  acquainted.  This  is  the  young 
lady  you  have  been  telling  me  about,  then?" 

"Yes.  Well,  isn't  this  interesting  now?"  replied 
the  Professor. 

"I  surely  must  say  it  is,"  spoke  up  Julia,  now  some- 
what recovered,  and  she  held  out  both  her  hands  to 
Silas  as  of  old,  but  this  time  in  a  sincere  manner.  "I 
am  so  glad  to  see  you,  Mr.  Cobb.  It  seems  like  home 
to  see  your  face  here,  and  I  am  so  homesick  it  does  me 
good  to  see  some  one  from  there." 

"Had  I  known  you  were  here,  Julia,  I  would  have 
called  on  your  mother  and  brought  you  news  of  her  and 
your  brothers.  But  I  think  they  are  well,  and  I  am 
glad  to  note  that  you  are  apparently  well  and  happy 
also." 

Just  here  some  students  came  in  and  the  conversation 
necessarily  ceased.  Miss  Howe  brought  in  their  sup- 
pers and  then  waited  on  the  others,  and  Silas  forgot  his 
and  ate  it  mechanically,  as  he  reflected  on  what  he  had 
discovered.  Now  and  then  he  watched  her  movement 
with  a  tray  of  dishes;  saw  her  delicate  hands  tremble 
as  she  set  the  side  dishes  around  the  plates;  saw  the 
flush  of  excitement  on  her  cheeks,  and  watched  the 


SILAS  COBB  m 

sparkle  of  her  eyes.  He  noticed  the  pleasure  the  board- 
ers felt  in  having  her  near  them,  and  his  own  pleasure 
in  seeing  her  come  and  go  in  her  white  dress  and  lace- 
bordered  apron.  He  forgot  Professor  Flick,  and  was 
only  called  back  to  his  duty  to  his  friend  by  the  Pro- 
fessor's question  in  regard  to  Miss  Howe's  past.  Silas 
briefly  told  him  she  was  a  very  estimable  young  lady  of 
his  county  whom  he  had  advised  to  go  to  school  and 
better  fit  herself  for  teaching.  That  was  the  substance 
of  what  he  told.  He  did  not  say  he  was  surprised  to 
find  her  in  Terre  Haute,  and  doubly  so  to  find  her 
working  in  a  dining-room  to  help  pay  her  way  through 
school. 

On  leaving  the  dining-room  he  spoke  to  Julia,  aside, 
and  asked  her  if  she  would  be  at  liberty  to  see  him  the 
following  afternoon  (Sunday). 

"Why,  of  course  I  will,  Silas,  and  I  shall  be  so  glad 
too,  for  you  are  the  first  person  I  have  seen  since  I  left 
home  that  I  knew,  and  I  am  so  homesick.  Do  come 
early  for  the  time  will  be  too  short.  Oh,  I  have  it, 
can't — excuse  me  if  I  am  wrong — can't  you  go  to 
church  with  me  in  the  forenoon,  also,  or  are  you  en- 
gaged, and  am  I  asking  too  much  of  you?" 

"Not  a  bit  of  it,  Julia,"  he  said.  "I  am  delighted 
to  accept,  and  thank  you  for  your  kindness  in  asking 
me,"  and  he  turned  to  the  professor  and  added,  "you 
will  give  me  over  to  this  young  lady,  won't  you,  Pro- 
fessor? I  know  you  can't  resist  her  demands,  now, 
can  you?" 

The  Professor's  face  showed  very  clearly  he  couldn't 
resist  anything  she  might  ask  him  for,  and  he  said  so 
promptly. 

The  next  morning  Silas  and  Julia  walked  down  the 
avenue  of  trees,  and  in  and  out  of  the  sunshine  and 


ns  SILAS  COBB 

shadow,  on  their  way  to  church.  It  was  a  mild,  still 
day  and  the  church  bells  were  ringing  when  they 
started.  As  they  strolled  along  chatting  Julia  told  him 
in  confidence,  just  as  if  he  were  an  old  friend  or  a 
brother,  that  she  had  something  to  show  him  and  talk 
about,  but  she  didn't  want  to  begin  then.  There  was 
not  time  and  she  wanted  him  alone,  away  from  the 
crowds  of  people,  so  they  could  talk  unmolested.  But 
the  odd  moments  of  their  walk  to  and  from  church  were 
filled  with  her  account  of  the  experiences  she  had  met 
with  since  she  arrived  in  Terre  Haute.  Often  in  the 
midst  of  her  narrative  she  would  look  up  into  his  face 
to  see  how  he  was  receiving  the  story — to  see  if  he  was 
approving  of  her  actions.  She  finished  telling  him  of 
the  battle  she  had  with  her  pride  when  it  came  to  work- 
ing her  way  through  school,  and  added  just  as  they  got 
to  the  church  steps:  "I  never  could  have  mastered  it, 
Silas,  were  it  not  that  when  in  greatest  doubt  I  always 
saw  your  eyes  on  me,  and  the  shame  of  it  would  leave 
me  at  once." 

They  entered  the  church  and  were  ushered  into  a 
high-backed  pew,  where  they  were  alone  for  a  few 
moments.  As  they  sat  down  the  great  organ  pealed 
forth  its  soft  melody,  and  Silas  leaned  over  and  quietly 
pressed  the  hand  next  to  him  and  whispered,  "You  did 
nobly,  Julia;  God  bless  you."  She  sank  back  in  her 
seat  with  a  sigh  of  satisfaction,  and  gave  Silas  a  grate- 
ful look  and  a  slight  hand-pressure  in  answer  to  his  en- 
dorsement of  her  action. 

"Could  it  be  possible,"  she  thought  as  ehe  gazed  out 
over  that  vast  audience  and  heard  the  peals  of  the 
organ,  "that  I  could  ever  be  happier?"  She  was  doing 
something  now  with  her  heart  in  it.  It  was  entering 
into  evei'y  act.  She  had  ceased  to  be  a  sham,  and  all 


SILAS  COBB  119 

that  life  of  sordidness  was  put  back  in  the  past.  The 
man  who  had  helped  her  to  do  it  sat  by  her  side.  He 
had  just  said  she  had  done  nobly.  His  voice  still  rang 
iu  her  ears;  the  pressure  on  her  hand  and  his  honest 
face  before  her — all  of  it  was  perfectly  delightful,  and 
her  heart  beat  on  furiously  as  though  it  were  clamoring 
to  be  heard.  Then  gradually  the  soft  music  began  to 
quiet  her  heart's  beating,  and  as  she  grew  quiet,  peace 
came  to  her  soul  and  new  strength  came  into  her  life. 

That  day  the  preacher  said  in  his  sermon  that  man 
did  not  live  in  the  highest  sense  until  he  had  mastered 
his  own  passions.  The  peace  that  comes  to  those  who 
have  crushed  pride,  anger,  hatred,  and  the  thousands 
of  vices  that  beset  us,  is  too  vast  and  far-reaching  to  be 
comprehended  by  those  who  have  lost  the  fight.  The 
man  who  has  reached  that  point  has  traveled  a  road 
beset  with  danger,  and  it  has  taught  him  to  love  and 
pity  the  weak.  Why  should  he  feel  bitter  toward  the 
man  who  spitefully  uses  him?  He  knows  all  the  grief 
and  trouble  that  accumulate  with  the  years  on  his 
shoulders.  Is  that  not  enough  in  itself  to  crush  him? 
He  looks  down  from  his  place  of  peace,  and  pities  with 
all  his  soul  those  who  are  afflicted  with  hideous  things, 
that  grow  on  their  hearts  and  make  their  lives  one 
long,  stormy  struggle.  The  end  comes  at  last  and 
their  souls  leap  forth,  freed  from  the  earthly  elements, 
dwarfed  and  incomplete. 

'  'Crush  out  all  these  things  in  your  hearts,  and  live 
so  that  you  can  face  all  the  trials  of  life  with  a  smile, 
and  when  death  comes,  die  as  you  have  lived.  Your 
freed  spirit  will  surely  be  a  brave  and  noble  one,  fit 
company  for  the  best." 

As  Julia  sat  listening  to  this  sermon,  it  seemed  to 
her  that  it  was  a  dedication  of  her  soul  to  higher  aims. 


180  SILAS  COBB 

As  they  left  the  church  Julia  turned  to  Silas  and 
said:  "Six  months  ago  I  would  not  have  understood 
that  sermon,  Silas,  but  to-day  it  seemed  to  tell  me  all 
I  have  learned  of  late  by  experience,  and  it  did  me  so 
much  good  to  hear  it  brought  out  so  beautifully.  I 
can  just  vaguely  understand  what  a  grand  thing  it 
must  be  to  have  a  soul  so  great  and  good  that  it  could 
encompass  the  whole  world,  and  look  in  love  and  pity 
upon  the  petty  strifes  and  passions  of  mankind.  I  say 
I  can  just  vaguely  comprehend  it  now,  and  it  gives  me 
great  hope  and  courage.  But  after  all,  it  is  you,  Silas 
to  whom  I  owe  it  all.  You  first  taught  me  the  way, 
and  your  silent  sympathy  I  have  felt  all  the  time  I 
have  been  here.  Your  example  of  good  temperament 
and  usefulness  has  always  been  before  me  as  a  guide." 

"It  is  very  kind  of  you,  Julia,  to  credit  me  with  so 
much,  but  I  fear  in  your  great  appreciation  of  your 
success,  you  have  over-estimated  my  help.  But  I  am 
glad  you  think  so  anyway.  It  encourages  me  to  know 
you  feel  that  way.  I  was  once  in  doubt  whether  I  had 
acted  exactly  right  by  you." 

That  afternoon  they  strolled  down  to  the  private 
park  attached  to  the  grounds  of  the  property  where 
Julia  lived,  and  took  a  seat  under  a  maple  tree.  The 
autumn  leaves  were  scattered  over  the  ground,  making 
a  carpet  of  many  colors.  Everything  had  been  bitten 
by  an  early  frost,  and  while  the  day  was  pleasant,  yet 
there  was  that  crispness  in  the  air  that  suggests  the 
dying  year.  The  leaves  had  all  fallen  from  the  goose- 
berry bushes  and  the  flowerbeds  were  covered  with 
dead  stalks  of  the  last  summer's  beauties.  The  dying 
year,  the  eddying  leaves  in  the  corner  of  the 
grounds  near  the  grape  arbor,  together  with  the  Sab- 
bath stillness  made  it  a  day  more  fit  for  those  whose 


SILAS  COBB  181 

veins  are  not  filled  with  the  hot  blood  of  youth.  Yet 
it  was  a  very  good  day  for  the  mood  in  which  Silas 
and  Julia  found  themselves. 

While  they  sat  on   the  bench  in   silence  for  a  few 
moments,  Julia  was  taking  from  some  secluded  place 


"The  autumn  leaves  were  scattered  over  the  ground,  making  a 
carpet  of  many  colors." 

about  her  person  a  letter  which  she  announced  was  the 
question  at  issue. 

"This  letter,  Silas,  has  made  me  very  happy.  Not 
for  what  it  has  offered  me,  for  I  am  not  going  to  use  it, 
biit  because  it  has  renewed  my  faith  in  people  in  general. 
But  I  nmst  let  you  read  it  first.  I  have  no  one  to  con- 
sult about  it  who  can  advise  me  intelligently  save  you." 


182  SILAS  COBB 

Silas  took  the  letter  and  as  he  glanced  over  it,  his 
face  lit  up  with  pleasure  and  apparent  recognition. 
Julia  looked  at  him  with  much  interest.  The  letter 
was  written  in  a  cramped,  irregular  hand,  on  "Bank 
of  Cowville"  stationery.  The  following  is  a  verbatim 
copy  of  what  he  read: 

COWVILLE,  OCT.  22,  188 — . 
To  Mis  JULIE  HOWE, 

Terry  Hut,  Indiany, 

DEAR  Mis — I  skursly  kno  how  to  begin  this  letter 
as  writen  aint  my  line  and  reconizen  that  this  is  a 
partickler  subject  I  will  jest  say  that  my  meanin  is 
good  and  hopen  you  will  understan  me. 

I  hev  notknowed  ye  very  long  but  1  hev  lately  found 
that  I  hev  dun  ye  a  great  injestice.  When  I  furst 
seed  ye  I  thot  ye  had  no  hart  but  I  seen  lately  how 
wrong  I  was  to  think  so  and  I  beg  you  to  scuse  me. 
I'm  an  ole  man  now  an  I  aint  never  mounted  to  much 
not  havin  any  eddication  and  I  aint  never  looked  out 
any  to  help  any  body  as  I  ot  to  seein  that  I  hev  more 
money  than  I  kin  use.  So  I  jest  sed  to  myself  theres 
a  young  lady  who  has  gone  away  from  hum  strugglin 
fur  an  eddication  with  probably  little  money  and  heres 
me  with  more'n  I  can  ever  use  ef  I  live  a  hundred 
years.  I'll  jest  send  the  gal  a  little  bit  as  a  crismus 
gif  an  ef  she  wont  except  it  so  she  will  take  it  as  a  loan 
an  pay  it  back  when  she  kin  spare  it  well. 

Ef  ye  will  tek  this  money  I  send  ye  I  will  be  feelin 
thet  I  hev  dun  somethin  to  make  up  fer  my  indifrencefur 
all  these  years  to  helpen  my  bruthers  on  the  way. 

I  will  jest  sign  myself  yer 

OLE  FREND. 

P.  S. — I  am  not  given  yer  my  name  thus  preventin 
yer  returnen  the  money.  I'm  hopen  that  ye  will  tek 
it  from  an  ole  man  an  woman  who  luves  ye  like  a  chile 
of  ther  own  ef  they  had  eny  which  they  haiut  ceptin  a 
young  man  they  hev  sorter  adopted  and  he's  a  doin 
well  God  bless  him." 


SILAS  COBB  183 

When  Silas  read  the  last  lines  a  new  feeling  of  love 
came  into  his  heart  for  the  dear  old  man  who  had 
penned  those  lines,  illiterate  though  they  were.  He 
had  known  from  the  first  glance  that  it  was  old  Henry 
Boggs  who  wrote  it,  but  the  last  lines  referring  to  him 
opened  a  new  chamber  in  his  heart. 

"Isn't  he  a  grand  old  man  Silas?  Who  is  he?  Do 
you  know?  I  am  so  anxious  to  see  him.  Do  I  know 
him?" 

Silas  smiled  at  her  eagerness,  and  said:  "I  must 
say,  Julia,  that  I  am  not  without  grave  suspicion 
against  a  certain  old  friend  of  mine,  yet  I  am  not  men- 
tioning any  names.  But  seriously,  Julia,  this  letter 
has  greatly  affected  me.  It  is  his  wish  that  you  keep 
this  money,  and  it  would  hurt  him  very  much  if  you 
wouldn't  do  it,  so  I  will  tell  you  who  wrote  this  letter 
if  you  promise  to  let  him  help  you.  You  can  pay  him 
back  when  you  get  to  teaching." 

"I  will  do  as  you  say,  Silas;  now  who  is  it?  Tell 
me  quickly." 

"Old  Henry  Boggs,"  said  Silas. 

"You  don't  mean  it?" 

"Yes  I  do.     I  am  sure  of  his  writing  and  language." 

"Why,  I  scarcely  know  him,  Silas." 

"True,  but  he  knows  you.  He  met  you  in  my 
office.  Then  I  have  told  him  about  you — how  I  was 
afraid  I  had  been  too  hard  on  you,  and  he  thought  I 
had,  too,  when  I  told  him  how  you  had  changed.  He 
even  asked  me  one  day  if  I  wouldn't  try  to  see  you  for 
him  and  get  you  to  let  him  loan  you  some  money  to 
help  you  through  school.  I  told  him  it  was  too  deli- 
cate a  matter  for  me  to  broach,  yet  I  was  going  to  try 
when  I  saw  you.  Just  notice,  Julia,  how  he  says  he 
has  never  had  a  chance  to  help  any  one.  Why,  I  know 


184  SILAS  CORB 

personally  of  such  scores  of  things  he  has  done  to  help  his 
friends  and  neighbors,  that  this  seems  little  along  side 
of  them.  Julia,  he's  the  most  lovable,  kind-hearted 
man  in  the  world." 

"Oh,  I  know  it,"  replied  Julia,  with  a  slight  huski 
ness  in  her  voice.  "If  he  were  here  now  I  should 
surely  throw  my  arms  around  his  neck  and  kiss  him." 

Silas  glanced  down  at  her  serious  countenance, 
smiling  at  this  impulsive  out-break,  and  said:  "He 
would  die  from  delight  if  you  did,  Julia,  and  I  could 
hardly  blame  him  for  it.  It  would  be  worth  it." 

"Shame  on  you,  Silas  to  joke  me  on  such  a  serious 
matter.  I  do  feel  awfully  good  toward  him.  When  I 
think  of  all  the  people  who  have  said  mean  things 
about  me,  justly,  I  suppose,  and  contrast  it  with  his 
blind  faith  in  me,  and  his  desire  to  make  me  happier,  I 
just  can't  keep  from — from — crying,"  and  cry  she  did. 

Silas  sat  gazing  up  through  the  bare  apple  trees  near 
by  feeling  rather  badly  about  the  matter,  thinking  his 
jest  had  been  sadly  out  of  place. 

"I'm  sorry  I  said  that  Julia,  but  it  wasn't  for  lack 
of  appreciation  for  the  seriousness  of  the  subject." 

"Oh,  that's  all  right,  Silas,  I  didn't  mind  your  joke 
— I — I — rather  liked  it,  but  I  was  so  happy  over  this 
letter,  and  your  visit,  and  everything.  It  seems  the 
world  is  all  good  now,  and  a  pleasant  place  in  which 
to  live." 

"We  measure  the  world,  Julia,  by  what  is  in  our 
hearts.  When  a  heart  is  good  the  world  is  good  to  it; 
when  a  heart  is  bad  the  world  seems  bad  to  it." 

The  eddying  wind  swept  a  shower  of  leaves  over 
them  and  sent  a  shiver  down  their  backs,  calling  their 
attention  to  the  chilly  atmosphere.  "Let  us  go  in, 
Silas,  I  fear  we  shall  catch  our  death  of  cold  out 
here." 


CHAPTEB  XXXIV. 

A  FEW  days  after  this  incident,  Sam  Street  drove 
up  to  Mr.  Boggs'  place  on  his  way  home  from 
Cowville  to  leave  Mr.  Boggs'  mail.  It  was  a 
neighborhood  custom  that  whoever  went  to  town  would 
bring  out  the  mail  for  the  neighbors  along  the  road 
home. 

"Hi  there,  Henry!  here's  your  mail.  Git  out  uv  the 
house  an'  git  some  fresh  air." 

In  answer  to  this  call  Mr.  Boggs  appeared  on  the 
porch,  excitedly  looking  over  his  spectacles  and  hold- 
ing in  one  hand  the  Cowville  Times  which  he  had  been 
reading. 

"Oh,  blame  me!  ef  it  ain't  Sam  Street  bellerin'  at  the 
gate.  I  thought  my  ole  bull  had  bruk  through  the 
fence.  Howd'y  Sam;  how  air  ye  t'-day?  Can't  ye 
come  in?  Git  out  an'  hitch." 

"No,  hain't  got  time,  Henry;  jest  brought  out  yer 
mail  fer  ye.  Thought  maybe  ye  wouldn't  go  t'  town 
this  week.  How  air  ye  feelin'  t'-day?" 

"Fair  t'  middlin',  thank  ye,  Sam.  I'm  jest  readin' 
what  Smith's  got  t'  say  'bout  the  comin'  'lection.  I 
see  he  thinks  the  guvnor  ain't  goin'  t'  pull  through 
with  the  rest  uv  the  republican  ticket,  an'  we  may  have 
a  chance  t'  git  in  our  man.  What  did  ye  hear  'bout  it 
in  town,  Sam?" 

"Nothin'  perticlar.  The  fellers  air  not  solid  among 
themselves.  Do  ye  know,  Henry,  Muddy  Crick  town- 
ship's 'bout  the  only  town  in  the  county  that  stands  fer 
somethin'  every  year  that  can  be  counted  on.  Here  we 
vote  the  ticket  an'  there's  no  doubt  'bout  it.  Cowville 
ain't  certain  what  it'll  do  one  year  with  t'other. 


186  SILAS  COBB 

Chances  air,  now  that  we  have  a  chance  t'  'lect  our 
guvnor,  them  town  fellers  will  git  t'  fightin'  among 
theirselves  fer  some  little  office,  an'  defeat  the  ticket  in 
this  county." 

"Did  ye  see  Si  Cobb,  Sam,  an'  did  he  have  anything 
perticlar  t'  say  'bout  it?" 

"Yes,  Si  told  me  'bout  what  I'm  tellin'  you.  He 
said  some  uv  them  town  fellers  would  actually  vote  fer 
the  republican  guvnor  ef  they'd  git  a  republican  vote 
in  exchange  fer  sheriff  or  some  other  durn  little  office. 
It's  a  durn  shame,  Henry,  that  me  an'  you  should  live 
t'  see  the  day  wheu  Democrats  git  oiiery  'nough  t'  trade 
principles  fer  office." 

"Consarned  whelps!  Sam,  we  jest  ort  t'  go  in  there 
t'gether  an'  learn  them  fellers  some  decency.  Blame 
me,  ef  we  orten  t'  eat  'em  raw!  I  sometimes  think  the 
country's  goin'  t'  rack  an' ruin.  Jest  t'  think  men  have 
souls  so  small  they  kin  trade  'em  fer  votes  every  year, 
an'  still  keep  the  miserly  things." 

"They'd  laugh  at  us,  Henry,  ef  we  'tempted  t'  give 
them  any  pinters.  They  call  me  an'  you  ole  hayseeds 
that  don't  know  much  'bout  up-to-date  politics.  No, 
we  wouldn't  have  no  influence  with  them  fellers,  I'm 
'fraid,  ouless  we  jest  jine  hands  an'  tell  what  we'll  do 
t'  enforce  it  when  they  want  our  votes — we  mought  kill 
'em  with  Muddy  Crick,  but  we'd  have  t'  bolt,  Henry, 
an'  it'd  feel  funny  fer  me  an'  you  t'  bolt  a  democratic 
ticket." 

"I  kin  jest  tell  ye  it  would,  Sam.  It'd  come  nigh 
killin'  me.  Yet  I  tell  ye  one  thing,  ef  them  town  fel- 
lers think  they  kin  trade  a  democratic  candidate  fer 
guvnor  fer  a  town  councilman  an'  not  git  punished  fer 
it,  they  don't  know  ole  Henry  Boggs.  Sufferin'  Moses! 
T'  think  I  would  ever  have  t'  do  it;  but  I  would,  I 


SILAS  COBB  187 

would  jest  jine  hands  with  ye,  Sam,  an'  we'd  tell  the 
voters  in  this  township  'bout  how  they  trade  our  guv- 
nor an'  we  can  defeat  their  county  nominations." 

"That's  jest  what  Silas  Cobb  told  me.  He  asked  me 
t'  talk  it  over  with  you,  an'  ef  me  an'  you  agreed  t' 
back  him  up  he  would  read  the  law  t'  them  fellers.  He 
said  the  candidate  for  guvnor,  Mr.  Thompson,  had 
heard  'bout  the  plot  there  among  the  leaders  uv  the 
party,  whereby  he  wuz  t'  be  traded  by  a  few  sore-headed 
fellers  who  got  defeated  in  the  state  convention,  an' 
the  party  machinery  turned  against  him.  That  sort 
uv  a  deal  would  lose  him  the  county  ef  it  ain't  stopped. 

4 'Ye  kin  bet  yer  life  we'll  back  him  up  a  plenty.  I'll 
jest  go  right  t'  town  t'-morrow  myself,  an'  Sam,  ye'd 
better  go  too,  an'  we'll  go  an'  see  Si  'bout  it." 

"All  right,  Henry,  I'll  come  by  in  my  buggy  an'  we 
kin  go  in  t'gether." 

"Good  'nough,  Sam,  my  horses  is  so  big  we'd  not 
git  there  quick  'nough  with  them.  I'll  be  ready  airly." 

Sam  Street's  old  wagon  rattled  off  down  the  hill  over 
cobble  stones  and  under  the  big  mulberry  tree  at  the 
barn-yard  gate  wkere  it  disturbed  the  notorious  crowd 
of  "razor-backs"  taking  an  afternoon  snooze,  and  on 
over  the  little  raise  beyond,  and  out  of  sight. 

Old  Henry  Boggs  went  back  into  the  house  fuming 
about  "them  town  fellers  being  so  cussed  onery,"  to 
Mrs.  Boggs. 

"Marthy,  ef  I  wuz  so  gol  durned  small  as  t'  trade 
my  principles  fer  an  office,  I  jest  think  I'd  pizen  my- 
self an'  have  ye  feed  me  t'  the  shoats.  Blame  me,  ef  I 
wouldn't!" 

"Why,  Henry!  what  on  airth  is  the  matter  with  ye 
now?" 

Then  followed  an  account  of  the  conversation  with 


188  SILAS  COBB 

Sam  Street.  He  had  finished  his  talk  and  had  taken 
up  the  paper  again  when  he  remembered  his  letter. 

"Gosh,  Marthy!  I  got  a  letter  here  Sam  Street 
brought  out,  an'  I  jest  'bout  f ergot  it." 

"Well,  I  guess  ye  did  fergit,  Henry.  'Pears  t'  me 
yer  gittin'  mighty  fergitful  uv  late." 

"That's  a  fact!  That's  a  fact,  Marthy,  I  am  shore 
'nough." 

He  tore  open  the  letter  very  deliberately,  saying, 
"Spose  this  is  some  advertisin',  ez  I  don't  know  who 
else'd  be  writin'  t'  me." 

"Suffering  bleedin'  Moses!  Ef  this  don't  beat  the 
whole  world.  Marthy,  did  ye  ever  hear  uv  anything 
like  it?  How  on  airth  that  gal  know'd  it's  us,  beats 
all.  Sufferin— ,"  but  Mrs.  Boggs  stopped  him.  "Henry, 
I  jest  believe  ye'r  gittin'  more  childish  every  day. 
Read  it,  an'  don't  excite  me  so  by  yer  palaveriu'." 

"Bless  yer  sweet  face,  Marthy,  ef  it  ain't  a  wonder! 
Jest  listen  t'  this, "and  Henry  read  the  following  letter: 

To  MR.   HENRY  BOGGS, 
COWVILLE,  ILL. 

MY  DEAR  FRIEND:  Your  very  kind  and  considerate 
letter  containing  a  draft  for  $250.00  came  promptly  to 
hand  Saturday.  You  can  scarcely  appreciate  the  great 
happiness  your  letter  has  brought  to  me.  Not  on  ac- 
count of  the  money  so  much,  as  the  loving  sympathy 
and  friendship  you  extend  to  me.  I  hope  you  will 
understand  the  gratitude  I  feel  for  this  encouragement, 
for  I  cannot  begin  to  express  it  in  writing.  You  and 
your  dear  wife  must  have  great,  noble,  loving  hearts,  to 
be  able  to  take  me  in  thus— an  almost  total  stranger  to 
you.  I  must  come  to  see  you  so  I  can  thank  you  in 
person  for  your  great  kindness  to  me. 

I  will  keep  the  loan,  because  I  know  it  will  make 


\ 

* 

SILAS  COBB  189 

you  happy,  and  I  am  glad  to  tell  you  it  will  greatly  aid 
me  also. 

May  I  come  to  see  you  some  time? 

With  love  and  good  wishes  to  you  both,  I  am  your 
friend  forever.  JULIA  HOWE. 

"Well,  bless  the  gal's  heart,  Marthy.  Ain't  that  a 
nice  letter,  though?" 

"I  must  say  she  is  a  lady,  Henry.  I'm  mighty  glad 
ye  sent  her  the  money.  Road  that  part  over  agin, 
Henry,  where  she  speaks  'bout  our  'lovin'  hearts'.!' 

Henry  read  it  over  again,  but  even  that  was  not 
quite  enough,  so  dear  old  Mrs.  Boggs  came  over  to 
Henry's  side  and  leaned  her  arm  on  his  shoulder  while 
they  both  pored  over  the  letter  together  for  a  long 
time.  It  was  so  good  to  them,  they  feasted  on  the 
thoughts  of  it  for  many  days.  Having  no  children  of 
their  own,  the  little  love  and  tenderness  they  had 
known  in  their  lives  had  been  limited  to  their 
affections  for  each  other.  This  made  the  letter  to 
them  a  great  treat. 

But  it  remained  a  nine-days'  wonder  to  them  how 
Julia  knew  who  sent  her  the  money. 


CHAPTER  XXXV. 

THE  next  morning,  bright  and  early,  Sam  Street 
and  old  Henry  Boggs  drove  to  Cowville,  and 
called  on  Silas  at  his  office.  There  was  little 
time  wasted  on  greetings  and  the  main  issue  was 
brought  up  at  once  by  Mr.  Boggs. 

"Well,  Silas,  Sam  an'  me  come  in  here  t'  see  ye 
'bout  this  guvnor  business.  Now  jest  tell  us  how  the 
land  lays  an'  what  ye  recommend." 

"It  is  simply  this,  gentlemen:  John  Wilson,  whom 
Thompson  defeated  for  the  nomination,  is  playing  the 
baby  act.  He  has  wanted  to  be  governor  for  years  and 
and  has  worked  every  detail  to  that  end  among  his 
friends.  We  went  to  Springfield  for  him,  as  you  know 
and  stood  by  him  as  long  as  there  was  any  hope.  He 
was  defeated  simply  because  he  didn't  get  enough 
votes,  and  fairly,  too.  He  came  home  sore  about  it, 
and  has  organized  a  bolt  against  Thompson,  and  so  far 
no  one  has  undertaken  to  stop  it.  He  has  Charley 
Williams,  Lafe  Young,  and  one  or  two  other  minor 
politicians  here  helping  him.  They  are  working  it 
with  the  Republicans  and  offering  their  votes  for  gov- 
ernor if  the  Republicans  in  turn  will  support  their  local 
ticket.  As  things  stand  now,  though  the  town  is 
really  democratic,  they  will  carry  it  for  the  republican 
candidate  for  governor.  There  is  one  thing  I  have 
hopes  of  doing,  and  that  is  this:  If  you  men  say  the 
word  and  stand  by  me  in  it,  we  can  make  these  fellows 
'back- water,'  or  else  lay  them  on  the  shelf  next  year  in 
the  county  election.  Lafe  Young  wants  to  be  clerk, 
and  Charley  Williams  sheriff,  and  both  stand  a  fair 
show  for  getting  what  they  want.  I  don't  think  WTil- 


SILAS  COBB  191 

son  wants  an  office,  but  he  is  so  far  the  biggest  man  in 
the  party  and  he  has  promised  his  influence  to  these 
fellows  for  their  dirty  work  against  Thompson.  He 
thinks  they  can  defeat  Thompson  here  without  openly 
fighting  him.  Wilson  is  quiet  personally.  Now  we 
three,  Henry  Boggs,  Sam  Street  and  Si  Cobb,  can 
make  a  combination  that  will  defeat  them  either  in 
the  convention  or  in  the  county  election.  If  we  can 
agree  to  stand  together  against  these  fellows,  I  think  I 
can  bring  them  to  support  Thompson.  What  do  you 
say  to  it?" 

"What  do  we  say?"  retorted  Mr.  Boggs.  "Ye  have 
already  said  the  word,  Si.  Sam  an'  me  have  agreed 
aforehand  thet  this  is  the  correct  policy.  We  will  have 
to  show  them  fellers  that  other  townships  can  bolt  as 
well  as  Cowville  when  it  becomes  necessary  t'  chastise 
party  leaders.  I'm  fer  it  strong." 

"So  am  I,"  said  Sam. 

"So  am  I,"  said  Silas. 

Accordingly  the  great  triumvirate  was  formed. 

Candidate  Thompson  had  heard  what  his  opponent 
in  the  convention  was  doing,  and  had  been  in  corres- 
pondence with  Central  Committeeman  Smith,  but  that 
gentleman  had  failed  to  reconcile  Wilson,  and  so  re- 
ported it  to  Mr.  Thompson  the  very  day  the  triumvi- 
rate was  formed.  That  same  afternoon  Silas  strolled 
down  to  Wilson's  law  office  and  sat  down  for  a  visit. 
He  and  Mr.  Wilson  were  good  friends  and  often 
chatted  with  each  other,  but  such  a  thing  as  Silas  hav- 
ing any  word  in  the  councils  of  the  party  had  never 
occurred  to  Mr.  Wilson.  "He  was  a  nice,  quiet, 
young  fellow,  but — ."  So  when  Silas  bluntly  raised 
the  subject  he  was  surprised. 


192  SILAS  COBB 

"I  understand  you  are  against  Thompson,  Mr. 
Wilson." 

"Well,  I  can't  say  that  I  am  except  as  some  of  the 
boys  here  urge  that  we  put  more  effort  on  our  city  and 
county  ticket,  and  that  I  approve." 

"It's  a  little  extraordinary,  isn't  it,  Mr.  Wilson,  to 
treat  the  head  of  a  ticket  in  that  sort  of  manner?  Be- 
sides, I  understand  that  you  have  ordered  Charley 
Williams  and  Lafe  Young  to  actually  trade  the  head  of 
the  ticket  for  votes  for  local  officers." 

"That's  my  business,  Mr.  Cobb,  I  think." 

"It's  not  the  business  of  the  leader  of  the  party  to 
bolt  a  regularly  nominated  ticket,  Mr.  Wilson,  and  I 
think  you  are  doing  wrong  in  doing  it." 

"I  really  don't  need  your  advice,  sir.  I  have  been 
in  politics  more  years  than  you  are  old,  and  you  should 
get  your  orders  from  me  and  not  be  too  officious." 

"That  is  true,  and  you  ought  right  now  to  be  giving 
me  advice  on  how  to  help  Thompson  to  be  elected  gov- 
ernor; instead  of  that  you  are  doing  your  best  to  defeat 
him.  I  am  young  and  have  much  to  leai'n,  but  I  have 
already  learned  that  our  leader  is  not  at  present  doing 
his  exact  duty." 

"Oh,  is  that  so?  Well,  I  will  not  go  to  you  to  find 
out  what  my  duty  is." 

"I  think  you  make  a  mistake,  Mr.  Wilson,  in  grow- 
ing angry  and  offering  offense  to  me.  I  assure  you  of 
the  kindliest  feeling  on  my  part.  You  ought  not  to 
sneer  at  my  services  because  I  am  young  and  lack  ex- 
perience. I  have  much  energy  which  can  be  utilized  to 
advantage,  and  you  ought,  as  a  party  leader,  to  try  to 
organize  such  energy  as  mine  for  the  party's  good." 

"I  can  do  very  well,  I  think,  Mr.  Cobb,  so  your 
energy  will  not  be  needed  yet." 


SILAS  COBB  193 

"All  right,  Mr.  Wilson,  you  can  send  for  me  or  call 
on  me  in  case  you  change  your  mind.  Good-day,  sir." 

Just  outside  the  door  he  met  Lafe  Young  and  Char- 
ley Williams  coming  in,  and  he  stopped  them.  "Say, 
you  are  the  men  I  want  to  see  right  this  minute.  Come 
this  way,"  and  he  ushered  them  into  the  office  of  the 
City  Hotel. 

"Now  to  come  to  the  point  bluntly  and  in  a  hurry,  I 
will  say  that  I  have  just  had  a  talk  with  Wilson,  and 
he  has  treated  me  very  badly,  considering  that  I  am 
right  and  he  is  wrong.  You  fellows  are  making  a  mis- 
take in  toadying  to  Wilson's  revenge  on  this  governor 
business,  and  it's  going  to  hurt  our  future  standing  in 
state  conventions.  Give  this  county  to  the  republican 
nominee,  and  what  will  the  state  say  about  that  sort  of 
doll  play?  I  tell  you  right  now  it's  bad,  bad  as  can 
be,  and  I  hope  yom  gentlemen  will  turn  your  efforts  to 
holding  the  party  in  line  for  Thompson." 

"Oh,  I  tell  you,  Cobb,  you'd  better  let  men  like 
Wilson  alone,  and  not  be  dipping  into  something  you 
are  not  used  to.  Your  long  suit  is  with  schools  and 
schoolma'ams.  On  those  things  we  bow  to  you.  Now 
don't  you  think  so?"  This  was  from  Lafe  Young. 

"It  may  be,  Mr.  Young,  that  I  am  not  up  to  your 
class  in  politics,  but  I  can  tell  a  square  deal  when  I  see 
it,  and  you  are  not  engaged  in  one  now." 

"Oh,  is  that  so?" 

"Yes  sir,  I  am  sure  of  it." 

"Well,  what  are  you  going  to  do  about  it?" 

Silas  reflected  a  moment  and  coolly  replied: 

"I  shall  do  my  best  to  defeat  you  for  nomination 
next  year  for  clerk,  and  if  I  fail  in  that  I  shall  try 
equally  hard  to  defeat  you  for  election.  This  also  ap- 
is plies  to  Mr.  Williams'  ambition  for  sheriff." 


i(.»4  SILAS  COBB 

"Listen  to  that,  Williams!" 

"I  hear,"  said  Williams,  smiling. 

"I  hope  you  won't  deceive  yourselves,  gentlemen," 
replied  Silas. 

"Oh  no,  Mr.  Cobb,  it  only  amuses  us  to  think  of  an 
office-holder  who  will  want  a  re-election  trying  to  work 
off  a  bluff  like  that,"  remarked  Mr.  Williams. 

Silas  got  just  a  little  out  of  patience  on  account  of 
their  failure  to  understand  his  motives  and  sincerity,  so 
he  turned  to  them  rather  bruskly,  and  said: 

"I  have  done  my  best  to  talk  with  you  as  I  would 
with  men,  and  had  a  right  to  expect  the  same  coui'tesy 
from  you.  Instead  of  that  I  meet  with  a  lack  of  sin- 
cerity and  with  an  air  of  impoi'tauce  and  arrogance  unbe- 
coming you.  Now  to  make  an  end  of  it,  I  will  say  this 
to  you  frankly  and  without  a  particle  of  enmity  toward 
either  of  you;  that  in  case  you  do  not  carry  this  town 
for  Thompson,  I  shall  use  every  effort  I  can  possibly 
muster  to  defeat  you  both  next  year;  and  to  show  you 
that  I  am  not  alone  in  this,  I  have  just  left  Sam  Street 
and  Henry  Boggs  who  are  to  back  me  up  in  it.  I  don't 
think  you  can  carry  Brush  county  without  Muddy 
Creek's  vote,  do  you?" 

At  the  mention  of  these  names  both  men  became  un- 
easy and  began  to  squirm. 

"You  don't  mean  to  say  that  Muddy  Creek  would 
bolt  the  ticket,  do  you?"  said  Lafe  Young. 

"Don't  you  think  they  would  make  as  good  bolters 
as  you  do?"  replied  Silas. 

Neither  said  a  word  but  looked  down  at  their  feet. 
They  knew  full  well  what  Muddy  Creek  vote  meant, 
and  besides  that,  they  somehow  felt  Silas  Cobb  wasn't 
to  be  fooled  with,  and  backed  by  Sam  Street  and  Henry 
Bogg8,  he  would  be  a  big  factor. 


SILAS  COBB  195 

"Please  let  us  understand  the  proposition  I  make  so 
there  will  be  no  hard  feelings  in  the  future,"  continued 
Silas.  "The  town  is  safely  democratic.  Thompson 
has  no  enemies  here  except  Wilson.  If  he  does  not 
carry  the  town,  then  it  is  his  fault.  Therefore,  I  shall 
charge  it  to  you,  and  will  absolutely  spare  no  effort  in 
defeating  you  for  any  office  you  may  apply  for.  If,  on 
the  other  hand,  Thompson  gets  the  full  party  vote,  I 
shall  keep  hands  off  and  will  probably  support  you  both 
in  the  convention." 

"Well,  we  will  think  it  over,  Silas.  We  don't  want 
to  get  into  any  war  with  you,  and  really  we  are  doing 
this  more  to  please  Wilson  than  anything  else,  but  if 
you  and  your  friends  stood  for  us,  I  think  we  could 
afford  to  offend  Wilson,  but  his  influence  could  knock 
us  out  of  the  nominations  unless  we  had  other  strength 
to  put  against  it." 

"You  are  better  defeated  than  to  get  a  nomination  by 
such  methods.  If  my  election  came  up  this  fall  I  would 
act  just  as  I  am.  Such  methods  as  you  are  pursuing 
will  ruin  any  party.  Politics,  to  be  successful,  in  my 
opinion,  ought  to  be  run  on  business  principles.  Rot- 
ten politics  will  fail  as  quickly  as  rotten  business 
principles." 

The  result  of  this  interview  put  a  new  power  into 
local  politics  that  had  not  been  felt  before.  Young 
and  Williams  went  back  to  Wilson's  office  and  laid  the 
matter  before  Wilson.  That  worthy  swore  a  great 
deal,  and  ended  by  sending  down  town  for  old  Henry 
Boggs  and  Sam  Street.  When  these  gentlemen  ap- 
peared Wilson  was  all  smiles,  and  greeted  them  very 
cordially. 

"What  is  this  I  hear  Sam,  that  you  and  Henry,  two 
of  the  oldest  and  stauncheet  Democrats  in  the  county 


196  SILAS  COBB 

are  talking  of  bolting  the  ticket  unless  Thompson  car- 
ries the  town?  I  told  the  boys  there  was  nothing  in  it." 

"I  guess  ye  air  mistaken  this  time,  Mr.  Wilson," 
said  Sam  Street. 

"That's  what  ye  air,  John.  By  the  bleedin'  Moses! 
You  fellers  needn't  think  we  airgoin'  t'  stand  by  an'  see 
ye  cut  Thompson  an'  not  resent  it.  This  here  town  is 
always  f oolin'  'round  an'  won't  play  ef  ever'thiug  don't 
suit  it.  We  jest  told  Si  Cobb  t'  do  what  he  thought 
wuz  right  by  the  ticket,  an'  we  would  stand  by  him 
even  ef  we  had  t'  vote  fer  a  Republican  t'  do  it.  An' 
blame  me  ef  we  don't  do  it!"  This  from  old  Henry 
Boggs. 

John  Wilson  saw  that  the  deal  was  off.  He  could 
not  carry  it  without  losing  prestige,  and  he  could  not 
afford  to  break  with  men  like  these,  so  he  said: 

"Well,  I'll  tell  you,  Henry.  I  am  going  to  see  to  it 
myself  that  Thompson  carries  this  town.  I  will  make 
it  a  special  point  to  carry  it  for  him,  for  1  don't  want 
people  to  think  I  am  sore  because  he  defeated  me  for 
the  nomination." 

"Bully  fer  you,  John.  That's  the  way  to  talk  it," 
said  Boggs.  "That's  right,"  said  Wilson.  Lafe 
Young  and  Charley  Williams  both  said  with  a  vim: 
"You  bet  yer  life,  that's  the  thing." 

Silas  had  scored.  From  that  day  on  he  surely  would 
be  considered  in  all  political  moves.  He  did  not  be- 
lieve, as  most  people  do,  that  to  be  successful  in  poli- 
tics a  man  must  be  dishonest.  He  believed  that  honesty 
of  purpose,  and  faithful  fulfilment  of  pledges  were  as 
essential  to  success  in  politics  as  in  business.  He  prac- 
ticed what  he  believed  always.  When  he  exerted  him- 
self for  a  candidate  or  principle,  he  always  had  a  good 
reason  to  present  for  his  actions. 


SILAS  COBB  i97 

As  the  year  progressed  he  gradually  added  new 
friends  to  his  old  ones.  He  soon  found  that  he  had  an 
acquaintance  among  his  school  officers  that  would 
some  day  prove  useful  in  case  he  ever  had  to  use  it  to 
right  some  wrong. 

In  visiting  schools  he  always  made  it  a  point  to  meet 
his  school  directors  and  talk  over  the  work  with  them. 
Each  officer  became  a  friend  and  looked  to  Silas  for 
advice  on  all  school  affairs,  and  those  of  his  political 
faith  looked  to  him  for  their  cue  at  the  conventions. 

The  campaign  waxed  warm,  and  Silas  kept  one  eye 
on  Lafe  Young  and  Charley  Williams,  and  the  other 
on  John  Wilson.  He  wanted  positive  evidence  if  any 
treachery  was  intended  toward  the  head  of  the  ticket. 
But  after  much  cautious  inquiry  he  was  satisfied  that 
there  was  no  intention  of  carrying  out  their  original 
program. 

When  the  votes  were  counted,  the  candidate  for 
governor  ran  even  with  the  other  candidates,  and  both 
Mr.  Young  and  Mr.  Williams  called  Silas'  attention  to 
this  fact,  and  asked  him  if  he  were  now  satisfied.  He 
assured  them  he  was,  and  that  in  all  probability  he  and 
his  friends  would  support  them. 

When  Silas  was  left  alone  he  thought  to  himself: 
"They  might  be  worse  and  they  might  be  better.  I 
suppose  if  a  man  supports  the  best  men  who  offer  their 
services,  he  is  to  be  excused  even  if  they  are  not  extra 
good  men." 


CHAPTER  XXXVI. 

JUST  before  the  holidays  Silas  was  getting  his 
work  in  shape  so  he  could  attend  the  state  teach- 
ers' association  at  Springfield.  He  had  not  seen 
Professor  Littleman  for  a  long  time  and  had  almost 
forgotten  that  such  a  man  existed,  when  he  appeared 
on  the  scene  one  afternoon  and  asked  for  some  pro- 
grams of  the  meeting.  Silas  treated  him  cordially  and 
matters  passed  off  between  them  fairly  well,  consider- 
ing their  past  relations.  The  Professor  was  going  to 
attend  the  meeting  and  wanted  to  examine  the  pro- 
gram in  advance.  He  glanced  over  it,  as  he  sat  near 
Silas,  without  comment  until  he  came  to  the  ''Superin- 
tendent's Section."  He  found  that  Silas  Cobb  was 
down  for  the  discussion  of  a  paper  on  the  gradation  of 
schools. 

"Oh,"  he  said,  and  a  cynical  smile  played  over  his 
face,  "I  see  you  are  going  to  tell  them  how  to  grade 
schools." 

"No  sir,  you  are  mistaken.  I  am  not  going  to  do 
anything  of  the  kind.  I  am  not  responsible  for  my 
name  being  on  the  program  at  all,  and  it  is  there  in 
spite  of  my  protest.  I  know  very  little  about  the 
actual  practice  of  grading,  but  I  have  my  ideas  which 
I  shall  undoubtedly  present  to  the  association  for 
what  they  are  worth.  I  shall  label  them  properly  so 
no  one  will  misunderstand  the  amount  of  experience 
back  of  them.  Superintendent  Ed  Smith  insisted  that 
I  should  take  this  part." 

"Oh,  I've  no  doubt  you  will  do  well,  Mr.  Cobb,  but 
I  advise  you  to  keep  clear  of  that  Ed  Smith.  That  fel- 
low is  utterly  bad.  He  uses  all  sorts  of  slang  and  he 


SILAS  COBB  109 

does  not  show  proper  respect  for  the  experience  of  hi« 
superiors.  He  is  too  rash  and  foolhardy.  Year  before 
last  he  was  absolutely  insulting  to  Superintendent 
Blockhead  at  the  state  meeting,  and  he  even  made  a 
dig  at  me,  too,  but  I  just  sat  down  upon  him,  figura- 
tively speaking,  so  he  let  me  alone  after  that.  But 
Blockhead  was  very  much  offended  at  Smith's  ugly 
talk." 

Silas  laughed  heartily.  "Yes,"  he  said,  "I  was 
there  and  heard  you  and  Blockhead  dress  him  down.  I 
enjoyed  it  very  much.  So  did  Smith,  I  think." 
Another  hearty  laugh  followed  this. 

"Oh,  you  heard  that,  did  you?"  asked  the  Professor, 
with  a  sickly  smile  playing  around  his  thin  lips. 

"Yes,"  said  Silas,  "I  was  there  and  heard  it  all,  and 
I  am  frank  in  saying  to  you  that  I  like  Superin- 
tendent Ed  Smith  very  much,  and  if  I  can  do  my  work 
here  as  fearlessly  and  as  well  as  he  is  doing  his,  I  shall 
be  pretty  well  satisfied.  He  is  a  man  with  large  ideas 
and  as  brave  as  a  lion.  These  two  qualifications 
make  a  real  big  man,  Professor,  and  I  am  very  sorry 
you  do  not  like  Ed.  He  has  often  spoken  of  you  to 
me,  and  I  rather  thought  you  had  quite  a  respect  for 
his  ability." 

"I  have,  in  a  way,  but  he  is  too  fresh  for  me.  I 
don't  like  these  young  upstarts  who  think  they  know 
so  much.  But  I  must  be  going.  I  will  see  you  in 
Springfield."  And,  with  a  good-by,  he  was  gone. 

Silas  sat  at  his  desk  smiling  in  quite  a  reminiscent 
manner  for  some  time  after  the  Professor  had  gone. 
He  was  going  over  that  scene  again  in  which  Ed 
Smith  had  metaphorically  skinned  Superintendents 
Blockhead  and  Littleman  at  Springfield  in  the  debate 
on  grading  country  schools.  No  wonder  the  Pro- 


200  SILAS  COBB 

fessor  didn't  feel  kindly  toward  him.  The  cut  smarted 
yet. 

At  Springfield  Silas  met  many  acquaintances  he  had 
made  the  year  before,  and  took  great  pleasure  in 
exchanging  experiences  with  them.  Ex-Superintend- 
ent Littleman  was  there,  too,  greeting  his  friends  and 
acquaintances  of  sixteen  years'  standing;  also  those  he 
had  made  in  more  recent  years.  He  felt  sad  to  think 
he  was  not  a  member  any  more  by  virtue  of  his  office, 
but  he  sat  through  the  sessions  as  usual,  and  now  and 
then  he  would  rise  and  apologize  to  the  president  and 
superintendents  for  intruding  his  remarks  on  them, 
as  he  was  not  a  member,  etc. 

Matters  had  gone  on  for  a  time  in  this  manner,  and 
Superintendent  Cobb  had  finished  his  discussion  on 
grading,  in  which  he  stated  briefly  the  result  of  his 
work.  He  had  introduced  a  course  of  study,  and  was 
pleased  to  report  that  every  teacher  was  following  it, 
and  that  the  results  were  very  satisfactory,  and  so  on 
and  so  forth. 

When  he  had  finished,  Professor  Littleman  got  up, 
cleared  his  throat,  smiled  sweetly  at  Mr.  Cobb,  and 
apologetically  addressed  the  chairman.  "I  am  very 
much  interested  in  Superintendent  Cobb's  remarks,  and 
am  in  hearty  accord  with  him  and  his  work.  He  is 
doing  as  much  as  any  man  could  do,  and  I  hope  the 
superintendents  will  not  think  I  am  opposed  to  Mr. 
Cobb,  but  with  due  apology  to  that  gentleman  I  must 
say  the  result  of  his  efforts  are  not  what  they  seem 
to  him.  I  have  visited  a  few  schools,  myself,  where 
Mr.  Cobb  thinks  the  results  are  splendid,  and  in  those 
schools  the  teachers  have  misled  him  as  to  the  course 
of  study.  They  have  not  followed  it  at  all,  but  know- 
ing him  to  be  so  earnest  about  it,  they  led  him  to 


SILAS  COBB  201 

believe  they  have.  On  the  other  hand,  those  teachers 
who  have  followed  his  advice  find  themselves  so  con- 
fined and  shut  in  that  they  have  no  heart  in  their  work. 
An  outsider  can  see  this  so  much  better  than  the  super- 
intendent can,  because  teachers  will  frankly  say  to 
outsiders  how  they  feel  about  it.  In  my  sixteen  years 
in  the  office  I  never  found  it  necessary  to  use  a  course 
of  study.  It  was  always  an  interference  with  the 
individuality  of  the  teacher." 

"Mr.  President,"  said  Superintendent  Cobb,  "I  am 
greatly  surprised  and  displeased  with  the  course  my 
predecessor  has  taken  on  this  subject.  I  remember  he 
took  just  this  position  two  years  ago  when  Superinten- 
dent Smith  was  giving  his  experiences.  I  think,  no 
doubt,  the  gentlemen  present  then  will  remember  the 
incident.  (Much  applause  and  laughter.)  One  of  these 
teachers  whom  Mr.  Littleman  talked  to  about  the  mat- 
ter was  in  my  office  a  short  time  afterwards,  and  told 
me  that  the  Professor  was  greatly  opposed  to  the  use  of 
a  course  of  study  and  tried  to  get  her  not  to  use  it. 
Another  one,  and  still  another  called  and  told  me  the 
same  story.  So  I  am  afraid  that  Mr.  Littleman  has 
gotten  his  own  opinion  mixed  up  with  that  of  the 
teachers.  It  is  not  my  disposition  to  argue  with  Mr. 
Littleman,  but  I  have  had  to  work  against  his  influence 
ever  since  I  took  up  the  work  in  Brush  county.  One 
would  think  that  he  would  be  satisfied  to  let  my  plans 
work  out  their  own,  destruction,  as  he  has  often  assured 
us  was  the  ultimate  end  of  such  a  policy.  But  he  in- 
sists on  lending  a  helping  hand  to  the  laws  of  Nature. 

"I  would  like  for  Mr.  Littleman,  or  any  other  gen- 
tleman present  who  holds  the  same  views,  to  tell  me 
how  the  individuality  of  a  teacher  is  affected  by  the  use 
of  a  course  of  study.  Can  she  teach  history  less  ca- 


202  SILAS  COBB 

pably  because  the  course  of  study  lays  out  the  work  into 
years  and  gives  the  teachers  a  consecutive  outline  to 
follow  through  the  whole  school  life  of  the  child?  Can 
she  not  use  any  method  she  chooses  in  teaching  this 
subject?  The  course  of  study  simply  divides  the  work 
into  years  and  months,  so  the  proper  amount  will  be 
done  in  all  the  branches  of  study.  It  seems  to  me  that 
no  person,  after  a  single  moment's  reflection,  would 
advance  such  an  objection." 

"It  not  only  seems  so,"  added  Superintendent  Ed 
Smith,  "but  it  is  so.  You  show  me  a  man  in  this  room 
holding  such  a  theory,  and  I  will  attempt  to  demon- 
strate to  this  convention,  by  examining  him  on  the 
course  of  study,  that  he  never  gave  it  even  a  casual  ex- 
amination, and  does  not  even  understand  the  aim  and 
object  of  it.  For  my  part  I  am  getting  tired  of  coming 
up  here  every  year  and  wasting  time  with  Littleman, 
Blockhead  and  others,  who  are  too  lazy  to  learn  the 
a  b  c's  of  the  work,  expecting  us  fellows  to  pound  it 
into  them."  (Much  applause  and  loud  laughter.) 

Littleman  and  Blockhead  were  both  furious,  but  they 
were  afraid  of  Ed  Smith's  examination  and  sharp  words, 
so  they  kept  still.  They  knew  if  they  said  a  word  he 
would  proceed  to  bring  out  the  illustration  he  promised 
the  audience. 

The  discussion  on  Superintendent  Cobb's  paper  on 
grading  schools  was  taken  up  by  Superintendent  Smith 
and  others.  Much  stress  was  placed  on  the  value  of 
making  a  proper  record  at  the  close  of  each  term,  of 
the  work  done  by  each  class  to  be  left  for  the  inspec- 
tion of  patrons  or  the  superintendent,  but  the  main  ob- 
ject being  to  enlighten  the  succeeding  teacher  on  the 
nature  and  quantity  of  work  done  by  her  predecessor. 
Thus  a  new  teacher  could  proceed  without  loss  of  time 


SILAS  COBB  203 

or  confusion  with  the  regular  class  work  of  the  school 
— every  grade  being  already  properly  organized.  Su- 
perintendent Smith  claimed  that  in  his  county  hi*  peo- 
ple had  not  only  been  greatly  benefited  by  a  continuous 
organization  of  the  schools  from  year  to  year,  and  a 
corresponding  increase  in  the  advancement  of  the  pupils, 
but  thousands  of  dollars  had  been  saved  annually  in 
time  usually  wasted  in  organizing  the  schools,  and  find- 
ing out  what  work  the  pupils  were  capable  of  doing. 
Thus  each  teacher,  having  no  former  record  of  classes, 
would  consume  about  one  week's  time  in  getting  his 
school  well  under  way,  and  a  hundred  teachers  would 
waste  one  hundred  weeks,  an  item  of  great  importance 
to  the  pupils  in  time,  and  the  taxpayers  in  money.  He 
recommended  that  the  superintendents  ask  their  county 
commissioners  for  an  appropriation  of  a  sufficient  sum 
for  providing  each  school  with  a  proper  record  for 
showing  the  progress  of  the  classes.  By  this  method 
the  superintendent  could  have  reports  made  to  him  on 
the  subject,  and  he  would  be  brought  in  closer  touch 
with  the  real  work  of  grading  the  schools.  Any  errors 
could  be  pointed  out,  and  assistance  given  the  teachers 
in  the  work  of  gradation.  It  seemed  as  useless  to  at- 
tempt to  run  a  school  properly  without  records  as  to 
conduct  the  business  of  a  bank  or  any  other  corporation 
without  them. 


CHAPTER  XXXVII. 

IN  January  Silas  Cobb  started  on  his  rounds  of 
school  visiting  again,  and  spent  the  next  two 
months  at  it. 

In  the  course  of  a  long  week's  work  he  had  not 
found  anything  of  sufficient  interest  to  note  until  he 
reached  the  last  schoolhouse  on  his  trip  back  to  Cow- 
ville.  In  fact,  he  found  some  schools  so  exact  and 
monotonous  that  he  felt  like  taking  a  nap  in  the  midst 
of  the  work.  There  are  teachers  you  can  neither  com- 
mend nor  criticize.  They  are  between  wind  and  water 
and  belong  to  the  great  average. 

But  on  Friday  afternoon  Silas  found  one  sufficiently 
bad  to  keep  him  alive  to  his  duty.  The  teacher,  Miss 
Winterset,  was  one  of  those  sharp,  irritable,  overbear- 
ing girls  who  have  poor  judgment,  and  no  patience. 
Silas  happened  in  while  she  was  drilling  a  lad  on  the 
word  "cat."  After  her  greeting,  she  went  about 
the  task  anew.  In  the  first  place  the  boy  sat  fully  half 
across  the  room  from  the  teacher  and  the  chart,  and 
Miss  Winterset,  with  a  pointer  laid  on  the  word  "cat," 
called  out  in  a  sharp,  penetrating  voice  calculated  to 
embarrass  the  boy,  "Now,  Johnny,. what  word  is  this?" 

Johnny  didn't  answer. 

"Johnny,  what  is  that  word?" 

Johnny  didn't  say  a  word. 

"Don't  you  know  what  c-a-t  spells?" 

He  never  told  if  he  knew,  and  it  is  not  supposed  that 
he  knew,  as  he  had  never  seen  the  word  "cat,"  and  this 
was  his  first  week  at  school.  In  a  louder  and  more 
irritated  tone  she  repeated: 

"What  does  c-a-t  spell?" 


SILAS  COBB 


205 


Still  he  sat  flushed  and  silent. 

"Johnny,  don't  you  know  what  c-a-t  spells?"  By 
this  time  she  was  angry,  and  showed  every  indication 
of  wanting  to  shake  the  lad;  The  whole  school  was 
now  intently  interested  in  the  situation,  and  the  poor 


word  spells  'cat.'" 

little  fellow,  feeling  all  eyes  centered  upon  him,  was  on 
the  verge  of  crying.  Now  angry  and  red  in  the  face 
at  the  boy's  stupidity  in  not  understanding  what  seemed 
to  her  a  self-evident  fact,  she  called  out  again: 

';Johnny,  what  does  c-a-t  spell?" 

If  the  lad  had  had  the  courage  to  say  what  it  really 


206  SILAS  COBB 

seemed  to  him  to  spell,  he  would  probably  have  replied, 
"sat,"  as  he  knew  no  other  sound  of  "c"  and  "a"  than 
their  natural  ones,  as  he  had  learned  them  in  the  alpha- 
bet. But  he  never  said  a  word  and  sat  there  full  of 
fear,  or  fight,  it  is  a  question  which.  She  finally  gave 
up  defeated,  and  impressively  said: 

"That  word  spells  'cat.'  " 

She  was  using  the  a  b  c  method,  BO  she  now  tui-ned 
to  the  alphabet  and  began  to  test  him  on  his  letters. 

Silas  heard  the  same  style  of  recitation  until  school 
closed,  and  he  planned  to  go  carefully  over  the  ground 
with  her  and  see  if  he  could  not  help  her.  The  work 
was  simply  bad  and  he  didn't  hesitate  to  say  so. 

"Have  you  any  criticism  to  offer  on  my  work,  Mr. 
Cobb?"  she  asked  in  a  manner  indicating  that  she  was 
proud  of  her  independent  bearing  and  the  courageous 
front  she  always  presented  to  her  school. 

"Yes,  I  have  a  few  suggestions  to  make,  Miss  Win- 
terset." 

"Oh!  is  that  so?"  she  replied,  rather  challengingly. 

"Your  chart  class — your  method  in  handling  that 
work — is  not  quite  right,  I  think,  and  I  would  suggest 
that  you  combine  some  of  the  later  methods  of  instruc- 
tion with  your  present  idea.  You  jump  from  nothing 
to  the  word  "cat,"  and  expect  the  child  to  recognize 
the  word  as  an  old  friend,  when  it  is  really  unlike  any- 
thing he  has  ever  seen,  and  its  appearance  and  spelling 
does  not  sound  like  "cat"  to  him.  This  is  wrong,  and 
you " 

By  this  time  Miss  Winterset  was  getting  angry 
again,  and  was  taking  the  criticism  very  badly,  and 
interrupted  Silas  by  the  unreasonable  remark,  "I  don't 
see  why." 

"What  do  you  refer  to?"  asked  Silas. 


SILAS  COBB  207 

"Why,  what  you're  talkin'  about." 

"What  is  it  you  don't  see  why  about,  Miss  Winter- 
set?  I  can't  do  anything  with  a  statement  like  that?" 

"Well,  about  my  method." 

"Your  method  is  out  of  date  and  based  on  a  wrong 
principle.  That  is  the  whole  trouble.  No  advanced 
teacher  uses  that  method.  They  use  the  phonetic  word 
method,  or  a  combination  of  various  methods,  but  no 
advanced  teacher  uses  the  a  b  c  method,  pure  and  simple, 
any  more." 

"I  don't  believe  it,"  she  retorted. 

"It  is  immaterial  to  me,  Miss  Winterset,  whether  you 
believe  it  or  not.  You  seem  to  be  as  deficient  in  cour- 
tesy as  you  are  in  methods,  and  I  fear  you  have  not  the 
proper  elements  for  a  teacher,  anyway.  A  real  teacher 
ought  to  be  kind  and  persuasive;  this  you  are  deficient 
in,  as  shown  by  your  method  of  handling  the  little  boy. 
She  ought  to  be  even  and  sweet-tempered;  you  are  irrit- 
able and  bring  out  the  bad  that  is  in  your  school.  She 
ought  to  be  courteous  and  considerate;  this  you  seem 
to  be  short  in,  also.  She  ought  to  be  anxious  to  have 
help  from  those  in  a  position  to  give  help;  you  are 
weak  in  this,  also,  as  you  even  go  so  far  as  to  deny  my 
statement  of  facts  with  which  every  teacher  ought  to 
be  conversant. 

"Now,  these  are  a  few  points  in  your  character, 
which  I  see  at  a  glance,  that  make  you  unfit  to  teach 
school.  Your  school  board  told  me  you  showed  this 
same  spirit  to  them  when  they  offered  suggestions  to 
you.  I  wanted  to  make  sure  of  it,  and  came  to  see  for 
myself  if  their  complaints  were  justified." 

"Oh,  you  did,  did  you?" 

"Yes,  I  did  and  after  you  have  finished  out  this  term 
of  two  weeks,  you  may  consider  yourself  out  of  the 


208  SILAS  COBB 

service.  I  will  not  revoke  your  certificate  unless  you 
apply  for  a  school.  I  have  no  disposition  to  do  you  an 
injury,  and  am  acting  as  I  am,  simply  because  you  are 
not  fitted  for  school-teaching.  You  can't  help  it,  I  sup- 
pose, being  born  that  way.  Some  people  are  born  with 
a  talent  for  music,  others  for  poetry,  and  so  on  around, 
and  it  isn't  their  fault.  I  am  not  angry  with  you  in 
the  least.  It  is  true  you  have  acted  badly  and  rudely 
disputed  my  word,  but  that  is  no  affair  of  mine.  You 
are  master  of  your  own  conduct,  and  your  acts,  for 
good  or  ill,  will  recoil  on  yourself  and  not  on  me,  and 
will  bring  you  much  trouble  in  the  end  without  my 
added  ill-will." 

She  stood  stolid  and  ugly,  and  made  no  reply. 

"I  am  sorry  to  see  you  feel  that  way,  Miss  Winter- 
set.  It  is  so  perfectly  useless,  and  leaves  you  in  a 
worse  state  of  mind  each  time  you  yield  to  it.  Take 
the  world  as  you  find  it,  and  don't  bruise  your  body 
fighting  against  everything  you  are  not  in  harmony 
with.  When  you  see  you  are  wrong  give  up  frankly, 
and  every  time  you  do  you  grow  stronger  and  sow  seeds 
of  good  fellowship,  and  make  people  love  you.  Life  is 
too  hard  at  best  for  us  to  go  through  it  jostling  each 
other.  Now  mark  you,  Miss  Winterset,  I  don't  say 
you  shall  never  teach  under  me  again.  I  mean  you  are 
not  to  teach  until  I  give  you  permission.  I  must  have 
proof  of  a  decided  change  in  your  methods  and  your 
disposition.  I  ask  this  as  no  personal  favor  to  me.  I 
am  simply  doing  what  I  think  I  ought  to  do.  I  owe  it 
to  the  people  no  less  than  you  do;  so  when  you  show 
me  a  different  phase  of  yourself  that  is  desirable  in  a 
teacher  along  the  lines  I  have  indicated,  we  can  arrange 
a  place  for  you  then." 

The  pupils  had  all  gone,  and  she  and  Silas  stood  all 


SILAS  COBB  209 

alone  in  the  room,  by  her  desk.  She  made  no  reply, 
and  he  seemed  to  have  said  all  that  wag  necessary. 

"Good-by,  Miss  Winterset,"  he  said  at  last,  after 
the  silence  had  grown  rather  embarrassing,  and  as  he 
said  it  he  offered  his  hand  to  her.  She  did  not  see  it, 
but  muttered  half  below  her  breath  something  that 
sounded  like  "good-by." 

"I  am  sorry,"  said  Silas,  and  walked  out  of  the 
room.  Such  scenes  to  him  were  disagreeable  in  the 
extreme,  and  only  extraordinary  cases  compelled  him 
to  act  so  abruptly,  and  with  apparent  harshness.  His 
disposition  was  to  avoid  scenes  of  any  kind,  and  he 
did  always  avoid  them  if  possible.  As  he  drove  along 
on  his  way  to  town,  he  brooded  over  the  situation,  and 
tried  to  find  fault  with  himself  and  pick  flaws  in  his 
statements.  Couldn't  he  have  done  this  way  or  that, 
and  was  there  any  use  of  stopping  her  further  teach- 
ing in  the  county?  Wasn't  it  just  a  momentary  dis- 
play of  temper  on  her  part?  It  might  have  been  her 
bad  day;  we  all  have  them,  and  a  little  allowance 
ought  to  be  made. 

So  he  fought  it  out  on  both  sides.  For  a  time  Silas 
Cobb  would  fight,  then  the  other  self  would  take  a 
turn  at  it  in  defense  of  Miss  Winterset.  But  all  to 
no  purpose. 

In  the  meantime,  as  Silas  was  speeding  on  to  Cow- 
ville  behind  Blaze-face,  Miss  Winterset  was  sitting  at 
her  desk  wrestling  with  the  old  demon.  For  a  long 
time  she  sat  there  and  spat  fire  and  brimstone,  as  it 
were,  at  Silas  Cobb.  No  thought  came  to  her  excited 
mind  mean  enough  to  satisfy  her.  Time  went  on, 
however,  just  the  same,  and  the  little  dollar-and-a- 
half  tin-back  clock  ticked  off  the  minutes  just  as  though 
14  Miss  Wiuterset  were  not  in  a  rage.  An  hour  had  gone 


210  SILAS  COBB 

by  since  Silas  left,  and  still  she  sat  there.  Another 
hour  went,  and  long  before  it  was  gone  the  little 
schoolhouse  was  wrapped  in  the  shadows  of  an  early 
winter  night.  She  didn't  seem  to  know  or  care.  She 
only  sat  there  and  thought  and  thought.  But  in  time 
her  blood  cooled,  and  the  room  grew  cold  also.  The 
silence  and  the  darkness  seemed  to  soothe  her  irritated 
mind,  and  at  last  she  laid  her  head  on  her  arm  that 
rested  on  her  desk,  and  cried.  Her  obstinacy  had 
burned  out,  and  in  its  place  pity  for  herself  had  crept 
in.  She  began  to  see  how  ugly  she  had  been,  and  to 
regret  that  she  had  not  shaken  hands  with  him  when 
he  left.  She  could  hear  his  quiet  words  yet,  "I  am 
sorry,"  as  he  walked  away.  She  wished  he  were  back 
again.  Then  she  felt  lonesome,  and  grew  afraid.  She 
got  up  and  put  her  little  clock  into  a  small  basket  in 
which  she  carried  her  lunch,  and  closed  and  locked  the 
door.  It  was  dark,  and  the  night  was  cold  and  frosty, 
so  when  she  got  home  she  was  trembling  all  over  from 
cold  and  fright.  She  went  straight  to  her  room,  and 
to  bed  without  supper. 

The  next  morning  at  school,  Jimmy  Sanders  said  to 
the  first  boy  he  met: 

'•Say,  Sam,  d'  ye  know  teacher  didn't  get  home  las' 
night  'till  'way  after  dark,  and  she  and  the  superin- 
tendent must  have  had  a  lot  t'  talk  about,  I  guess." 

"Gee  whiz!     'Zat  so?" 

"Yes  sir,  'tis,  and  she  never  eat  no  supper,  aud  ma 
says  her  eyes  was  red  when  she  come  jist  like  she'd 
been  a  cryiu'." 

"Goodness,  gracious!  What  'd  ye  suppose  the 
superintendent  did  to  her?" 

"Golly,  I  don't  know!  That's  what  ina  asked,  and 
pa  smiled  and  winked  at  ma,  and  ma  said  she  knowed 


S/JL4S  COBB 


211 


better.  Ye  can't  never  tell  nothin'  about  pa.  He's 
alus  teasin'  ma,  but  I  know  the  teacher  was  a  cryin' 
las'  night  after  she  went  t'  bed,  cause  my  bed's  just 
next  t'  the  wall  and  I  could  hear  her." 

By  the  close  of  the  day  it  was  understood  by  all  the 
pupils  that  the  teacher  and  superintendent  had 
remained  at  the  schoolhouse  until  long  after  dark, 


"The  silence  and  the  darkness  seemed,  to  soothe  her." 
and  that  the  teacher  got  a  good  lecture,  but  the  older 
heads  at  home  changed  the  object  of  the  late  hour  at 
the  house,  and  made  quite  a  delightful  morsel  of  gossip 
out  of  it.  From  no  foundation  of  fact  whatever,  a 
wonderful  story  was  woven,  and  for  a  few  weeks  or 
months,  it  found  its  way  into  every  mouth,  and  was 
soon  forgotten  or  replaced,  and  Silas  Cobb  and  Miss 
Winterset,  wrapped  in  their  own  thoughts,  never  heard 
of  it. 


CHAPTER  XXXVIII. 

ABOUT  ten  o'clock  one  morning,  on  his  next  trip 
to  the  country,  Silas  Cobb  drove  up  to  Oliver 
Scotland's  school,  and  hitched  Blaze-face  to  a 
near-by  fence.  Oliver  spied  him  coming,  and  at  once 
pulled  down  his  vest,  brushed  back  his  bushy  mustache, 
and  stood  up  among  his  rubbish  and  dirty  surroundings. 

''Children,"  he  said,  "we  now  have  approaching  us 
the  Hon.  Silas  Cobb,  Superintendent  of  Schools  of 
Brush  county."  (Oliver  was  great  on  display.)  "I 
see  him  now  preparing  to  enter  our  school,  one  of  the 
best,  I  should  say,  in  this  county.  I  want  you  to  be 
on  your  good  behavior,  and  make  a  special  effort  to 
not  disgrace  us  by  any  untimely  acts.  Attention,  now, 
to  your  work." 

Oliver  was  a  negative  character,  and  he  was  never  of 
one  mind,  so  far  as  plans  and  their  execution  were  con- 
cerned, long  at  a  time.  He  had  begged  off  from  attend- 
ing the  institute  in  consideration  of  a  solemn  pledge  to 
attend  the  teachers'  meetings  to  make  up  for  it.  This 
Silas  believed  he  had  meant  to  do  at  the  time,  but  "out 
of  sight,  out  of  mind"  was  Oliver's  style,  and  he  had 
not  attended  a  single  meeting  up  to  the  time  of  Silas' 
visit  in  February. 

When  Silas  entered  his  schoolroom  the  first  general 
impression  he  got  (and  it  proved  correct  and  lasting), 
was  that  of  carelessness,  and  a  sort  of  odor  filled  the 
air  that  is  common  to  a  lot  of  dirty  boys  and  girls 
crowded  into  a  schooh-oom  on  a  cold  morning  after  they 
have  become  thoroughly  warmed  up.  Behind  the  desk 
Oliver  took  his  stand,  and  made  a  speech  to  the  chil- 
dren for  the  benefit  of  the  superintendent  in  the  way  of 


SILAS  COBB  213 

an  introduction  and  welcome.  His  coat  collar  showed 
gray  around  the  back  of  his  neck,  with  grease  thor- 
oughly soaked  in  and  nicely  coated  with  dandruff.  The 
front  of  his  vest,  coat  and  trousers  were  polka-dotted 
with  dusty  grease-spots.  In  short,  he  wasn't  clean, 
neither  was  his  school.  By  his  desk  was  a  box  of  saw- 
dust— not  clean  sawdust,  but  the  sawdust  of  ages, 
measured  by  the  uses  made  of  sawdust  in  such  places. 
His  desk  was  littered  with  many  things,  and  the  dust 
of  the  year  had  accumulated  in  plenty  upon  it  between 
the  books  and  papers. 

The  door-casings,  desks  and  furniture  were  all  greasy 
and  dirty.  It  is  safe  to  say  the  floor  had  never  been 
scrubbed,  and  absolutely  certain  that  the  woodwork 
had  never  been  washed.  It  was  also  reasonably  certain 
that  the  teacher  and  his  pupils  had  not  bathed  their 
bodies  during  the  year. 

After  the  school  had  partially  recovered  from  the  re- 
ception of  the  superintendent,  Oliver  announced  that 
he  would  now  call  his  advanced  arithmetic  class.  This 
class  had  recited,  but  he  wanted  Mr.  Cobb  to  witness 
the  swift  work  of  these  particular  pupils. 

"What  year's  work  is  this  class  doing,  Mr.  Scot- 
land?" inquired  Superintendent  Cobb. 

"We  ain't  doin'  no  particular  year,  Mr.  Cobb.  This 
class  is  workin'  independent  from  any  course  of  study." 

"Yes,  I  should  judge  so,"  replied  Mr.  Cobb. 

"Now,  boys  and  girls,"  continued  Oliver,  "we  want 
to  show  the  superintendent  some  rapid  calculation  in — " 
A  boy  in  the  back  seat  punctured  Oliver's  remarks  with 
a  loud  snap  of  his  fingers,  and  held  up  a  dirty  hand. 
"Well,  what  is  it,  Sam?" 

"A-1-l-e-g-h-e-n-y!"  drawled  out  the  bo'y,  a  chocolate 


214  SILAS  COBB 

colored  finger  following  the  letters  as  he  spelled  the 
word. 

"That's  Allegheny,  Sam.  I've  told  you  twice  to-day 
how  to  pronounce  that  word." 

"Now,  then,  class!  Quick!  Ready!  Who  can  git 
through  first?  What's  the  intrust  on  $750.50  at  6  per 
cent  for  two  years,  1  month  and  10  days?  Now  lively 
there!"  And  the  chalk  clattered  on  the  blackboard  at 
a  terriffic  rate.  It  was  a  mad  race  to  see  who  would 
finish  first.  Flushed  with  pride,  Oliver  stood  at  his 
desk  watching  the  proceedings,  and  urging  them  on. 
The  school  stopped  the  preparation  of  lessons  and  en- 
tered into  the  exercise  with  avidity.  Finally  Oliver 
observed  that  this  exhibition  of  lightning  calculation 
was  interfering  with  the  preparation  of  lessons.  "Git 
to  work  there,  children;  don't  be  wastin'  your  time 
that-a- way . " 

Then  seven  different  children  snapped  their  fingers, 
and  Oliver  called  out  one  after  another  for  the  ques- 
tions, and  answered  them  in  a  loud,  pulpit-toned  voice. 

In  a  very  short  time  the  class  had  finished  its  prob- 
lem, and  one  after  another  of  the  first  ones  to  finish 
whirled  around  with  the  expression,  "I  am  through, 
teacher,"  "Me,  too,"  and  so  on. 

"Now,  Superintendent  Cobb,"  spoke  Oliver,  in  a 
tone  of  pride,  "you  will  see  that  we  have  learned  to  do 
things  in  a  hurry,  here.  Rapidity  is  what  the  business 
world  wants.  Would  you  like  to  ask  the  class  ques- 
tions on  the  work?" 

Silas  accepted  the  invitation,  and  proceeded  to  exam- 
ine the  pupils.  He  discovered,  as  he  expected,  that 
they  had  been  taught  a  formula  of  cancellation  by  rote, 
and  knew  absolutely  nothing  about  the  principle 
involved  in  the  subject.  He  was  not  long  in  making 


SILAS  COB B 


215 


his  point  apparent  to  the  class.  But  Oliver  declared 
in  a  bluster  that  they  knew,  but  were  bothered  and 
embarrassed.  While  the  recitation  was  in  progress, 
pupils  all  over  the  room  continued  to  interrupt  it 


"It  was  a  mad  race  to  see  who  would  finish  first." 
with  questions,  and  the  teacher,  apparently,  did  not 
seem  to  think  anything  about  it.  All  through  the  fore- 
noon he  waded  through  his  work  in  much  the  same  man- 
ner. His  ambition  to  make  a  big  display  drowned  out 
everything  that  was  good  in  his  school,  and  was  devel- 
oping the  same  qualities  in  his  pupils. 


216  SILAS  COBB 

At  noon,  while  the  pupils  were  eating  their  lunches, 
Silas  began  his  pruning  task. 

"Mr.  Scotland,  I  don't  want  to  be  unnecessarily 
harsh,  and  what  I  say  to  you  I  want  you  to  consider  in 
a  good  spirit,  for  my  sole  aim  is  to  help  the  work  along. 
Before  we  begin  I  would  like  to  see  your  register  of 
classes  and  your  course  of  study. 

"Say,  now,  I  am  sorry  about  that,  but  I  just  don't 
believe  I  have  made  out  my  register  yet,  but  the  course 
— let  me  see — where  is  that?  Well,  now  I  come  to 
think  of  it,  I  left  it  at  the  hotel  in  Cowville  the  day 
you  gave  it  to  me  at  the  teachers'  institute — when  you 
excused  me  from  attendance;  and,  by  the  way,  Superin- 
tendent Cobb,  that  was  very  kind  of  you  too.  I've 
told  several  people  here  about  how  good  you  were  to 
me,  and  every  one  of  them  said  it  was  just  like  you. 
I  tell  you  I  have  kept  things  in  good  shape  out  here 
for  you  politically." 

"Of  course  that  is  well  enough  for  me,  Oliver,  but 
this  neglect  on  your  part  is  all  wrong,  and  I  am  going 
to  hold  you  to  account. for  it.  Now,  look  at  the  situa- 
tion: I  have  been  preaching  a  whole  year  about  this 
course  of  study.  I  have  demanded  its  use  in  every 
school.  You  have  had  no  less  than  five  circular  letters 
sent  you  about  its  use,  and  I  never  thought  it  possible 
that  any  teacher  in  this  county  would  be  guilty  of  wil- 
ful neglect.  Besides  that,  when  I  was  here  before  I 
told  you  to  make  out  your  register  promptly  at  the 
beginning  of  every  term,  showing  the  organization  of 
your  school.  This  you  have  also  ignored.  Here  the 
year  is  almost  closed,  and  not  a  thing  done  in  either 
case.  These  alone,  Mr.  Scotland,  are  causes  sufficient 
for  revoking  your  certificate,  if  I  had  no  other  reasons." 

"What's  the  difference  about  the  course  of  study — 


SILAS  COBB  217 

that  don't  tell  a  feller  how  to  teach  a  school,  and  as  to 
the  register,  I  know  all  about  the  school,  and  what's 
the  use  to  write  it  down?"  replied  Oliver. 

"Why  didn't  you  say  that  to  me  last  year,  so  I  could 
have  stopped  all  this  trouble  at  once,  instead  of  pretend- 
ing to  me  you  were  so  enthusiastic  over  it?  The  very 
idea  of  you  presuming  to  ignore  my  absolute  instruc- 
tions to  you  on  this  matter  is  provoking,  to  say  the 
least." 

"Oh,  you  take  the  matter  too  seriously,  Superintend- 
ent Cobb.  You  ought  to  concede  something  to  me  and 
take  into  account  my  good  teachin'.  That  ought  to  be 
the  main  aim  of  your  supervision,  anyway.  I've  had 
lots  of  experience,  I  can  tell  you." 

Silas  looked  at  him  and  his  contempt  changed  into 
pity  for  the  fellow's  ignorance. 

"Oliver  Scotland,"  said  Silas  impressively,  and  with 
great  seriousness,  "I  don't  want  to  hurt  your  feelings, 
but  you  must  be  disillusioned  or  you  never  will  amount 
to  anything  in  your  life.  Now,  listen  closely  to  what 
I  am  going  to  say.  You  are,  to  my  personal  knowledge, 
the  most  incompetent  teacher  in  Brush  county.  In  ad- 
dition to  that,  you  are  the  most  slovenly  in  your  per- 
sonal appearance,  and  keep  the  dirtiest  schoolroom,  and 
can  show  the  most  untidy  pupils  of  any  teacher  I  ever 
saw  or  read  about." 

"What — what  on  earth  have  I  done  to  merit  such 
abuse?"  retorted  Scotland,  now  red  in  the  face. 

"Nothing,"  was  Silas'  reply.  "Nothing  but  blow 
and  bluster,  Mr.  Scotland,  that  is  all;  and  pray  keep 
your  voice  down.  We  don't  want  the  school  to  hear 
this  talk.  I  am  talking  to  you  for  your  benefit,  and  if 
you  are  sensible  you  will  heed  my  advice." 

"You  are,  eh?     Well,  I  can  tell  you  now  the  people 


218  SILAS  COBB 

of  this  district  will  see  whether  you  can  come  out  here 
and  slander  their  school.  Dirtiest  lot  of  pupils  you 
ever  saw,  are  they?  I  like  that,  don't  you  children?" 
His  voice  fairly  rang  with  anger.  The  pupils  heard  his 
statement  in  full. 

Silas  had  gone  a  little  too  far  in  his  statement,  not 
for  truth's  sake,  but  for  the  sake  of  diplomacy.  Oli- 
ver's love  for  display  was  too  strong  for  him,  and  he 
indulged  himself  before  he  could  help  it.  It  was  a 
grand  opportunity  to  array  his  little  empire  against 
Superintendent  Cobb,  and  it  seemed  at  that  moment  to 
him  in  his  anger,  that  he  would  need  strong  backing  to 
save  himself. 

Silas  leaned  over  the  desk  until  his  face  was  within  a 
foot  of  Oliver's,  and  as  he  did  so  he  laid  his  hand  on 
his  arm  with  a  grip  of  iron,  and  said,  in  cold,  sharp 
tone,  "Shut  up." 

The  effect  was  simply  electrical.  Oliver  sank  back 
in  his  chair  white  with  fear,  and  the  cold  perspiration 
stood  on  his  forehead.  What  he  saw  in  that  look,  and 
what  he  felt  in  every  sense  he  had  was  sufficient  to 
bring  him  to  a  state  of  collapse. 

Silas  turned  to  the  pupils  and  said: 

"Children,  I  don't  want  you  to  be  frightened  at  this 
little  scene  here.  Mr.  Scotland  is  not  feeling  well  to- 
day, and  he  is  now  sorry  for  his  outbreak  of  temper. 
I  have  decided  that  he  needs  a  little  rest  and  change 
from  his  work,  and  this  being  Thursday,  the  week  is 
about  gone  anyway,  so  I  will  take  the  liberty  of  dis- 
missing you  until  next  Monday.  I  am  not  quite  sure, 
but  I  think  there  will  be  a  new  teacher  here  Monday. 
You  may  take  your  wraps  and  go  home  now.  I  will 
come  to  see  you  next  Monday,  when  I  hope  to  give  you 


SILAS  COBB  219 

a  pleasant  talk,  and  introduce  to  you  one  of  the  best 
lady-teachers  I  can  find.  Good-by  to  you  all." 

They  filed  out  of  the  room  amid  great  excitement, 
and  hurried  home.  As  they  left  the  room  Silas  saw  the 
children  of  the  directors  and  sent  word  for  them  to 
come  to  the  schoolhouse  at  once. 

Oliver  still  sat  rooted  to  his  chair,  scarcely  compre- 
hending what  was  happening.  When  the  pupils  were 
gone  Silas  told  him  to  eat  his  lunch  while  he  took  his 
horse  to  a  near-by  house  to  be  fed,  aud  to  get  his  own 
dinner.  He  would  return  and  meet  him  and  the  board. 

At  two  o'clock  Silas  drove  up  to  the  schoolhouse  and 
found  all  the  directors  present.  Oliver  had  told  his 
story,  leaving  out  the  incriminating  part  of  it.  The 
board  was  in  a  rage,  and  Silas  found  himself  liable  to  a 
personal  assault  from  them.  Oliver  was  a  favorite 
among  them,  and  a  local  politician  of  some  note.  On 
account  of  their  ignorance  and  simplicity  they  were  not 
able  to  see  through  his  veneer  of  boasting  and  story- 
telling. Silas  had  scarcely  cleared  the  threshold  before 
they  were  all  talking  at  once.  They  were  German- 
Americans,  and  the  leader  of  them  was  a  high-tempered, 
unreasonable  man,  and  he  was  shaking  his  fist  in  Silas' 
face  before  greetings  were  fairly  exchanged.  Silas' 
traditional  coolness  came  near  forsaking  him  here.  It 
was  a  delicate  situation,  and  whether  his  act  would 
produce  peace  or  war  was  a  question.  He  had  made 
one  mistake.  He  would  not  be  hasty  this  time.  He 
would  use  argument.  That  was  what  he  meant  to  do, 
but  when  the  leader  of  the  revolt  touched  his  chin  with 
his  dirty  fist  in  his  wild  gesticulations,  he  caught  his 
wrist  in  his  grip  and  brought  it  down  with  a  twist,  and 
in  a  loud,  clear  voice  he  shouted:  "Sit  down!  You 


220  SILAS  COBB 

don't  know  what  you  are  talking  about.  Sit  down,  all 
of  you." 

They  got  into  their  seats,  still  muttering,  and  the 
cold  sweat  came  out  on  Oliver's  brow  again. 

"Now,  gentlemen,  I  am  ready  to  explain  the  situa- 
tion. You  should  have  saved  you-r  demonstration  until 
I  had  finished.  It  never  pays  to  be  hasty  as  I,  myself 
have  learned  over  and  over  again.  A  year  or  more  ago 
Mr.  Scotland  here  was  at  our  institute  when  we  organ- 
ized our  teachers'  association  for  the  year.  He  opposed 
the  plan  vigorously.  This,  too,  in  the  face  of  the  fact 
that  he  needed  the  help  of  these  meetings,  his  standings 
on  examination  being  too  low  to  entitle  him  to  a  certif- 
icate. But  on  account  of  his  long  experience  I  let  him 
through  on  probation.  I  told  him  then  that  he  must 
make  good  his  grades  before  this  year's  work  closed. 
He  knew  what  to  expect.  I  came  out  here  to  see  him, 
and  find  that  he  has  not  complied  with  a  single  require- 
ment made  by  my  office.  He  does  not  keep  his  records, 
nor  does  he  follow  the  course  of  study.  These  things, 
however,  could  be  overlooked  if  he  were  an  excellent 
teacher,  but  I  want  to  say  to  you,  gentlemen,  that  he  is 
the  most  incompetent  teacher  I  ever  saw,  anywhere. 
Your  pupils  do  not  understand  half  the  stuff  he  pre- 
tends to  teach  them.  I  have  examined  them,  and  know 
this  to  be  a  fact.  Another  thing  which  I  dislike  to 
mention  to  you,  but  which  is  a  very  important  matter, 
is  that  he  is  not  tidy  in  his  dress  and  personal  appear- 
ance. He  does  not  keep  himself  clean,  nor  does  he  try 
to  keep  his  schoolroom  or  pupils  clean.  I  beg  of  you 
to  look  at  this  room.  Step  up  here  and  look  at  his 
desk.  Is  not  your  barn  just  as  clean?  Is  a  man  a 
true  teacher  of  little  children  who  will  live  in  such 
filth? 


SILAS  COBB  221 

"I  revoked  his  certificate  an  hour  ago  for  general 
incompetency,  and  I  assumed  the  responsibility  of  dis- 
missing the  school  because  I  didn't  suppose  the  mem- 
bers of  the  school  board  would  personally  want  to  pay 
his  salary,  as  no  school  money  can  be  used  to  pay  his 
wages  from  now  on.  It  was  not  my  intention,  gentle- 
men, to  act  so  abruptly  in  this  matter,  but  to  be  frank 
with  you,  I  made  the  mistake  of  telling  Mr.  Scotland 
the  plain  truth  without  due  regard  as  to  how  it  might 
make  him  feel.  The  result  of  my  act  was  to  arouse  his 
anger  and  his  bad  breeding  led  him  to  raise  his  voice 
so  the  entire  school  was  aware  of  his  trouble.  This 
fact  led  me  to  act  at  once,  as  no  greater  damage  could 
be  done  to  the  school  than  for  him  to  continue  teach- 
ing for  the  remainder  of  the  week. 

"I  think  I  have  just  about  covered  the  ground  so  far 
as  Mr.  Scotland  is  concerned.  These  boys  and  girls 
are  entitled  to  as  good  a  teacher  as  any  other  school. 
You  pay  a  good  salary,  and  you  ought  to  have  good 
work.  It  is  absolutely  certain  that  your  pupils  have 
been  positively  damaged  by  the  present  teacher,  and  I 
feel  that  I  am  largely  to  blame  for  it.  Out  of  sym- 
pathy for  a  few  old-time  teachers  who  could  not  pass 
the  examination  last  year,  I  let  them  teach  on  proba- 
tion, which,  in  Mr.  Scotland's  case,  was  a  mistake. 
He  did  not  try  to  improve.  He  even  seemed  not  to 
care.  I  have  no  personal  grounds  for  opposing  him. 
If  he  knows  of  any  defense  he  can  offer  you,  he  can 
now  have  the  floor." 

But  Mr.  Oliver  Scotland  seemed  crushed,  and  only 
asked  the  question,  "What's  the  use?" 

"None,  particularly,  Mr.  Scotland,"  replied  Silas. 
"It  is  your  privilege." 

The  school  board  had  little  to  say.     They  seemed  to 


222  SILAS  COBB 

lack  ground  to  stand  on,  and  all  of  them  seemed  satis- 
fied that  Silas  was  right  about  it.  It  ended  by  the 
board  asking  him  to  send  them  another  teacher. 

Silas  knew  that  District  No.  6,  where  Josephine 
Alger  taught,  would  close  on  Friday,  so  he  drove 
direct  to  her  schoolhouse.  He  laid  the  matter  before 
her  in  all  its  disagreeableness,  and  asked  her  to  take  the 
school.  Did  she  revolt  at  it,  or  inquire  about  her 
compensation  and  boarding  place?  No;  these  things 
did  not  appeal  to  her  in  this  light.  She  only  said, 
after  Silas  had  finished:  "The  poor  little  dirty  things! 
They  need  some  one  to  love  them,  don't  they?  I  would 
really  like  to  go,  but  how  could  I?  These  people  here 
will  want  me  for  the  spring  term,  and  I  have  only  two 
weeks  of  vacation?" 

"They  will  have  to  do  without  you,  Miss  Alger. 
Here  is  a  school  that  is  sadly  in  need  of  you.  I 
could  not  find  another  teacher  to  fill  that  place.  You 
are  not  needed  here  now  so  much.  There  are  many 
teachers  who  can  teach  here,  but  there  are  none  whom 
I  can  get  fit  to  take  up  that  work." 

It  ended  by  Miss  Alger  taking  the  school.  She  went 
like  a  soldier,  where  the  fire  was  the  hottest.  Silas 
took  her  out  in  his  buggy,  and  when  the  pupils  had  all 
gathered,  he  said: 

"Children,  I  told  you  last  week  that  I  would  intro- 
duce to  you  to-day  the  nicest  and  most  lovable  lady 
teacher  I  could  find.  I  had  no  trouble  in  finding  her, 
because  I  knew  just  where  to  look.  This  is  Miss 
Josephine  Aiger,  and  where  she  came  from  you  can 
find  no  one  who  does  not  love  her.  Every  boy  and 
girl  who  ever  knew  her  became  her  friend  for  life. 
I  know  you  need  some  one  to  love  you,  and  work  with 
you.  Some  one  whose  heart  is  like  yours,  and  whose 


SILAS  COBB 

soul  is  so  great,  and  yet  so  tender,  that  little  chil- 
dren who  go  to  school  to  her  are  filled  with  love  and 
high  aims.  That  is  why  I  brought  you  Miss  Alger. 
I  knew  you  needed  a  grand,  good  teacher  more  than 
any  other  school  in  the  county,  and  because  I  was 
anxious  to  help  you  I  have  brought  you  the  best 
teacher  I  ever  knew.  Now  I  hope  you  will  be  good  to 
her  and  love  her  as  she  deserves." 

That  was  Silas'  speech  and  Miss  Alger's  heart  being 
tender,  her  eyes  were  level  full  of  tears  when  he  fin- 
ished. It  wasn't  a  day  for  ceremony,  so,  after  a  short 
talk  with  Miss  Alger,  Silas  left.  He  knew  a  third 
party  would  interfere  with  the  work  of  the  school. 
They  would  feel  freer  if  left  to  themselves. 

It  was  a  wonderful  thing  the  way  that  school 
shucked  itself  during  that  first  week.  The  old,  dirty 
house  got  its  first  bath,  and  the  pupils  saw  a  revela- 
tion. And  it  was  all  so  jolly!  No  bluster  nor  brag 
now.  It  was  all  sunshine  and  smiles.  The  work  was 
a  pleasure,  and  in  time  they  began  to  understand  the 
reasons  for  what  they  did.  The  people  at  first  stood 
aloof  from  Miss  Alger,  but  it  was  only  for  a  short 
time.  The  children  in  the  end  bore  down  every 
barrier,  as  they  always  do  for  those  they  love. 


CHAPTER  XXXIX. 

DURING  the  spring  vacation  four  adjoining  coun- 
ties, including  Brush,  Hays,  Willow  and  Hitch- 
cock, had  a  joint  teachers'  convention  at  Cow- 
ville.  It  had  been  planned  by  Superintendents  Cobb 
and  Ed  Smith,  and  proved  to  be  a  very  successful  meet- 
ing. Superintendent  Smith  brought  over  in  a  body 
from  his  county  about  a  hundred  teachers;  Brush 
county  turned  out  in  full  force.  Superintendent  Slowly, 
at  Sandy  Crossing,  came  over  with  six  of  his  teachers, 
while  Superintendent  Brown,  from  Oak  Bluffs,  came 
with  a  full  dozen. 

At  the  suggestion  of  Superintendent  Slowly,  who  was 
still  trying  to  decide  the  matter,  the  convention  spent 
much  time  on  the  value  of  a  course  of  study  for  coun- 
try schools.  It  will  be  remembered  that  he  had  been 
getting  opinions  for  some  years  past  on  the  subject  pre- 
paratory to  adopting  a  course  of  study,  and  Superin- 
tendent Smith  had  told  him  in  pretty  strong  terms 
what  he  thought  of  his  methods. 

After  the  meeting  had  closed  and  it  seemed  as  if 
everyone  had  had  all  the  discussion  he  needed  for  some 
time,  Superintendent  Slowly  was  still  thirsting  for 
more,  so  he  managed  to  get  the  other  thi-ee  superintend- 
ents cornered  in  the  church  where  the  meeting  had  been 
held  and,  after  due  deliberation,  solemnly  asked  this 
question: 

"What  do  you  men  do  with  agents,  solicitors  for 
church  funds,  beggars,  peddlers  and  ticket  sellers  who 
prey  on  you  for  your  money?" 

Ed  Smith  guffawed,  Silas  Cobb  smiled,  Mr.  Brown 
giggled  and  Superintendent  Slowly  looked  injured. 


SILAS  COBB  225 

Then  they  all  tried    to  look  serious,    and    Ed  Smith 
answered  first: 

"I  have  the  janitor  cremate  mine  in  the  furnace." 

They  all  laughed  again,  and  Mr.  Brown,  a  man  of 
impulses,  seriously  began  to  explain  his  method: 

"For  my  part  I  think  I  have  an  ideal  way  of  dispos- 
ing of  them  all  to  the  best  advantage.  For  instance,  I 
pin  a  notice  on  the  door  casing,  'No  book  agents 
admitted,'  and  whenever  one  appears  I  take  him  by  the 
arm  and  show  him  the  notice.  Then  I  go  to  my  work 
without  another  word,  looking  very  stern.  If  that 
doesn't  suffice,  I  use  sterner  measures.  Solicitors  of 
church  funds  who  are  all  residents  of  my  county  I  greet 
cordially,  and  explain  to  them  I  am  solicited  by  every- 
one, and  I  have  made  a  universal  rule  to  give  twenty- 
five  cents,  and  give  it  to  all  alike.  This  lets  me  on* 
cheaply,  and  no  one's  offended.  The  peddlers  I  fire 
right  out  without  ceremony,  as  they  don't  belong  in  the 
county.  The  ticket  sellers  for  entertainments  I  placate 
by  buying  one,  as  a  rule.  I  think  it  is  a  pretty  good 
plan.  At  any  rate  it  works  well  with  me." 

Superintendent  Slowly  looked  amazed.  Such  sum- 
mary methods  were  shocking  to  him. 

"Why,"  he  said,  "you  don't  lose  much  time  with 
them,  do  you?  No  longer  than  last  week  a  fellow 
bothered  me  all  day  trying  to  sell  me  a  patented  ink- 
well and  some  other  stuff.  Of  course  I  treated  him  as 
well  as  I  knew  how  and  he  was  going  to  sell  it  to  me 
in  spite  of  myself.  But  after  he  had  spent  about  a  day 
at  it,  he  went  off  looking  as  if  he  had  been  defeated. 
But  I  never  buy  anything  from  anybody  nor  subscribe 
to  anything.  Just  can't  afford  it,  but  I  do  waste  a  lot 
of  time  talking  with  them." 
15  "Well,  I  don't  agree  with  either  of  you  gentlemen," 


226  SILAS  COBB 

said  Superintendent  Cobb.  "I  don't  treat  any  of  this 
class  by  set  rules.  I  don't  have  any  notices  warning 
any  one  to  keep  away  from  my  office.  I  say  this  with 
due  respect  to  you,  Mr.  Brown,  but  I  take  it  that  my 
office  is  of  a  public  character  and  open  to  the  public. 
If  a  book  agent  comes  to  me  with  a  book,  I  am  always 
glad  to  look  at  his  wares.  I  am  a  lover  of  good  books. 
Should  he  have  anything  that  suited  me,  I  would 
encourage  him.  He  is  a  human  being  like  myself,  try- 
ing to  make  an  honest  living.  Besides  that,  I  may  be 
greatly  benefited  by  contact  with  him.  To  illustrate  my 
point,  last  week  a  gentleman  called  on  me  selling  John- 
son's Cyclopaedia.  His  hair  was  half  gray  and  he 
looked  like  a  perfect  gentleman.  He  was  very  gentle- 
manly in  his  address,  and  considerate  lest  he  take  my 
time  without  first  getting  my  permission.  He  called  at 
nine  o'clock  A.  M.  and  at  bedtime  he  left  me.  It  was  all 
my  fault;  I  kept  him.  He  was  the  most  interesting 
man  I  ever  talked  with,  and  I  learned  more  in  that 
day's  talk  with  him  than  I  ever  learned  from  any  dozen 
men  I  ever  knew.  He  was  a  graduate  of  Harvard,  and 
had  held  high  positions,  so  much  above  my  poor  little 
job  that  it  must  have  all  seemed  mean  and  small  to  him, 
yet  nothing  of  the  kind  could  be  detected  in  his  man- 
ner. Now  I  want  to  ask  you,  Superintendent  Brown, 
what  would  I  have  looked  like  taking  that  man  by  the 
the  arm,  a  total  stranger  to  me,  and  pointing  to  a  notice 
on  my  door,  "No  book  agents  admitted.'''''' 

"Well,  that's  just  what  I  did  with  that  same  fellow," 
replied  Brown,  looking  rather  sheepish. 

"You  don't  mean  it,"  said  Slowly. 

"Surely  you  didn't,"  said  Cobb. 

"Brown,  you're  a  fool,"  said  Ed  Smith. 

"Why?"  said  Brown,  now  embarrassed. 


SILAS  COBB  227 

"Nobody  but  a  Democrat  would  do  a  thinglike  that 
because  he  is  too  ignorant  to  know  any  better,"  laugh 
ingly  retorted  Smith. 

"Be  careful,  Smith,"  replied  Silas  Cobb,  smiling. 
"I  might  invite  you  outside,"  and  as  he  said  it  he 
closed  down  on  Smith's  arm  with  so  much  cordiality 
that  the  impulsive  gentleman  screamed  with  pain. 
Silas'  grip  was  something  marvelous. 

"But  tell  us  what  Canfield  (that  was  the  agent's  name) 
said  to  you,  Brown,"  continued  Smith.  "I  am  anxious 
to  know  if  he  thrashed  you  as  you  deserved?" 

"Thrashed  me?  Well,  I  guess  not.  He  bowed  to 
me  with  an  apology  when  I  showed  him  the  notice,  aud 
said  he  was  sixty  years  old  and  had  never  yet  thought 
to  look  for  a  warning  of  that  sort  on  the  door  casing, 
and  he  hoped  I  would  overlook  his  negligence  in  not 
seeing  it.  It  was  not  his  intention  to  intrude  himself 
where  he  was  not  wanted,  or  something  to  that  effect." 

"And  didn't  you  just  now  say  he  didn't  thrash  you, 
Brown?" 

"Well,  did  he?"  inquired  Brown  innocently. 

"Well,  all  I  have  to  say  to  that  is  you  don't  seem  to 
know  when  you  are  licked.  For  my  part,  if  a  man  like 
Canfield  ever  dealt  me  a  blow  like  that,  I  wouldn't  be 
able  to  manage  another  obstreperous  school  teacher  for 
a  whole  year.  I  agree  with  Cobb  about  these  matters 
exactly.  There  is  only  one  rule  to  adopt — absolutely 
only  one — and  that  one  is  this:  Be  a  gentleman  at  all 
times  and  under  all  circumstances,  and  assume  every 
other  man  is  a  gentleman  until  you  find  he  isn't.  Every 
agent,  peddler,  fakir,  solicitor,  or  any  other  old  thing 
gets  courteous  treatment  when  he  comes  to  my  office.  I 
let  him  sing  me  his  song,  that  is,  tell  me  his  business. 
I  give  him  a  respectful  hearing  and  limit  the  time.  I 


228  SILAS  COBB 

never  have  any  trouble  about  wasting  time.  All  who 
call  on  me  are  comparatively  clever  people,  and  know 
when  I  am  ready  to  quit,  and  they  get  out." 

"Oh,  well,"  said  Brown,  "I  am  going  to  quit  the 
work  anyway.  Maybe  I  was  hasty  about  it,  but  no 
use  to  cry  about  past  mistakes.  By  the  way,  I  haven't 
told  you  yet  about  my  prospects  of  being  elected  to  the 
presidency  of  Hoover  College  over  in  Indiana,  have  I? 
No?  Well,  I  have  every  reason  to  believe  I  will  be 
elected." 

"What  college  is  that?"  asked  Cobb. 

"Hoover  College  at  Coif  ax." 

"Why,  man  alive!  don't  you  know  Canfield  is  presi- 
dent of  the  board  of  directors  of  that  college?" 

Brown  turned  pale  and  then  red,  and  at  last  laughed 
a  sickly  laugh.  "Is  that  really  so?"  he  asked. 

"Absolutely  certain,"  replied  Cobb. 

"It  shall  be  meted  back  to  you  measure  for  measure," 
quoted  Smith,  smiling  at  Brown's  discomfiture. 

"Well,  say,"  Brown  continued,  "that's  a  good  one 
on  me.  Do  you  suppose  Canfield  will  hold  that  against 
me?  Did  he  say  anything  about  me  to  you,  Mr.  Cobb?" 

"No,  nothing  disrespectful — only  mentioned  meeting 
you." 

"Or  to  you,  Smith?" 

"Not  a  word.     Canfield's  a  gentleman." 

Immediately  after  the  four  men  separated,  Superin- 
tendents Brown  and  Slowly  left  on  the  first  train,  while 
Ed  Smith  and  Silas  went  arm  in  arm  to  the  latter's 
office.  As  they  strolled  along  Smith  broke  the  silence 
by  saying:  "Yes,  I  think  Canfield  will  know  how  to 
vote  when  his  board  gets  ready  to  select  a  president. 
Wouldn't  it  be  an  edifying  spectacle  to  see  as  president 
of  a  college  a  man  who  has  a  mind  like  Brown's — 


SILAS  COBB 


hemmed  in  all  around  with  a   'stake  and  rider'  fence?" 

"Yes,"  said  Silas,  "and  isn't  it  an  apt  illustration  of 
that  old  saying  that  'chickens  always  come  home 
to  roost.'  How  nicely  everything  adjusts  itself  to  con- 
ditions. There  seems  to  be  a  perfect  balance  in  every 
action.  It  is  utterly  impossible  to  escape  this  universal 
law  of  compensation.  Brown  is  not  broad  enough  for 
a  college  president,  and  his  insult  to  Canfield  will  cost 
him  the  position.  If  every  man  could  be  taught  this 
everlasting  truth,  that  there  is  no  escape  possible  from 
the  results  of  his  own  acts,  there  would  be  much  more 
thinking  done  before  acting.  Acts,  good  or  bad,  ema- 
nate from  within  us,  and  no  matter  whether  committed 
in  silence  and  alone,  or  in  public,  that  never-ceasing 
law  of  compensation,  like  gravity,  goes  on  with  its  lev- 
eling process,  meting  out  measure  for  measure.  Like 
death,  there  is  no  escape  from  it.  If  there  happens  to 
be  no  public  act  to  bring  about  retribution  from  the 
outside  at  once,  the  process  is  going  on  just  the  same 
from  within,  and  sooner  or  later  evens  up  every  account. 
Some  master-characters  in  cunning  and  subterfuge  live 
half  of  a  life  sometimes  before  the  world  discovers  the 
workings  of  this  law  in  a  public  exposure,  but  in  the 
end  it  comes  and  the  reckoning  is  made.  It's  the  law 
of  life,  and  to  break  it  means  to  suffer." 

"Silas,  you  are  quite  a  philosopher.  Where  did  you 
get  all  that  stuff?" 

"Learned  it  by  experience." 

"The  only  real  school,"  commented  Smith. 

By  this  time  they  had  reached  the  office,  and,  going 
in,  comfortably  seated  themselves  for  a  good  visit. 
They  had  barely  raised  a  subject  for  discussion  when 
they  heard  heavy  steps  on  the  stairs,  and  a  great  deal 


230  SILAS  COBB 

of  puffing  and  blowing  as  if  the  climber  was  in  distress 
and  found  the  stairs  difficult  to  ascend. 

"Listen,"  said  Silas. 

"Regular  tornado,"  remarked  Smith. 

"No,  it  isn't,"  corrected  Silas.  "It's  Henry  Boggs 
or  his  spook,  and  I'll  wager  two  to  one  on  it." 

Sure  enough.  The  door  burst  open  and  old  Henry 
Boggs  stepped  in,  noisy  and  elated. 

"Howdy,  Silas,  my  boy!  Blame  me,  ef  I  ain't  glad 
t'  see  ye,  son.  An'  be  this  Ed  Smith?  Excuse  me, 
sir,  %fer  speakin'  up,  but  Editor  Smith,  uv  the  Herald, 
told  me  ye  wuz  with  Silas.  I  am  jest  as  glad  as  I  kin 
be  t'  see  ye  both."  He  had  Silas'  hand  in  his  right  and 
Ed  Smith's  in  his  left,  shaking  them  both  vigorously. 

"Yes,  this  is  my  friend,  Ed  Smith,  and  mighty 
glad  I  am  to  see  you,  Uncle  Henry,"  replied  Silas, 
smiling  a  real  welcome  to  him. 

"And  I,  too,  Mr.  Boggs,"  said  Smith  with  warmth. 
"Silas,  here,  has  told  me  enough  about  you  to  make  a 
book,  and  a  good  one,  too.  I  consider  it  a  great 
honor  to  meet  a  man  like  you." 

"Henry  Boggs  would  make  a  good  hero  in  any 
book,"  added  Silas. 

The  old  man  swelled  up  with  pride  and  genuine 
pleasure  at  the  warmth  of  his  welcome  and  the  appre- 
ciation these  two  young,  husky  men  showed  him. 

"Ye  boys  ort  t'  be  ashamed  uv  yerselves,  blowin'  up 
an  ole  man  like  that.  I'm  too  ole  now  t'  stand  much 
uv  it,  blame  me  ef  I  ain't!  I  git  so  stuck  up  some- 
times that  Marthy  tells  me  I  am  likely  t'  git  a  fall. 
She  says  t'  me,  'Henry,  them  town  fellers  air  ruiniu' 
ye  more  an'  more  every  year.  They  jest  make  ye  think 
ye're  somebody,  when  ye  ain't.  Ye're  only  ole  Henry 
Boggs,  an'  I'm  only  ole  Marthy  Boggs,  an'  that's  all 


SILAS  COBB  231 

there  is  t'  it.  We  air  jest  ole,  ignerant  people,  an'  not 
fit  t'  go  out  with  them  town  folks,  who  air  cddicated 
an'  wear  nice  clothes.  We  jest  don't  know  how, 
Henry.  We've  worked  out  our  time,  an'  our  ways 
jest  growed  in  us.  We  caii't  change  'em  any  now'. 
An'  I  believed  her,  too,  at  the  time,  but  ye  young 
rascals  knock  it  all  out  uv  me,  an'  I  begin  t'  git 
proud  an'  stuck  up.  So  ye've  got  t'  quit  blowin'  up 
the  ole  man.  D'ye  hear?" 

"The  trouble  with  you,  Mr.  Boggs,"  replied  Smith, 
"if  you  won't  object  to  my  mentioning  it,  is,  you  are 
too  modest  to  appreciate  your  own  true  value.  Man- 
ners, or  forms,  and  clothes  do  not  make  the  man,  as 
you  know." 

"Well,  I  should  say  not,"  interrupted  Silas. 
"Why,  Smith,  do  you  know  that  it  actually  makes  me 
feel  badly  to  hear  them  talk  that  way.  If  to-day  I  had 
my  choice  of  dining  with  the  governor  of  this  state  or 
old  Henry  Boggs,  I  should  dine  with  Boggs,  and  feel 
a  greater  honor,  because  I  would  feel  that  there  sat  a 
man  who  never  deserted  a  friend;  whose  honor  was 
never  questioned;  whose  life  is  an  open  book;  whose 
soul  is  great  and  strong;  and  lastly,  whose  heart  beats 
warm  and  true  for  me.  Do  you  think  I  would  exchange 
him  for  a  governor,  a  president,  or  any  one  else,  no 
matter  what  cut  of  clothes  he  weai-s  or  from  what 
school  he  graduated?  Well,  I  guess  not!"  ended  Silas, 
with  a  rap  of  his  ruler  on  the  desk. 

This  was  balm  to  Mr.  Boggs'  soul,  and  he  almost 
forgot  himself  in  the  great  emotion  he  felt.  Had  he 
been  out  in  the  barn-yard  at  home  he  might  have 
diverted  attention  from  his  emotion  by  storming  at 
the  stock,  but  there  was  no  chance  for  diversion  there 
in  that  small  office. 


232  SILAS  COBB 

"Thank  ye,  son,  fer  yer  kind  words.  Sufferin' 
Moses!  but  the  wind  is  bad  t'-day.  I  jest  got  my  eyes 
full  uv  dust  comin'  in." 

He  took  his  handkerchief  out  and  wiped  his  eyes. 
No  one  made  any  comment  on  the  calmness  of  the 
atmosphere  outside,  and  old  Henry's  embarrassment 
was  passed  over  without  apparent  notice. 

Silas  soon  discovered,  however,  that  Mr.  Boggs 
wanted  to  say  something  to  him  in  private,  so  he  said 
to  Smith,  "Please  excuse  us  a  moment,  Ed.  I  want  to 
send  a  little  message  to  Mrs.  Boggs,"  and  he  led  the 
way  into  his  private  office. 

"Well,  Mr.  Boggs,  I  am  very  glad  to  see  you.  How 
are  you,  anyway,  and  how  is  Mrs.  Boggs?" 

"Well  as  common,  Silas,  an'  we  air  as  happy  as  kin 
be  over  a  little  matter  we're  planniu' now,  his  face  lit 
up  with  pleasure  as  he  went  on. 

"Ye  see,  Silas,  son,  the  gal's  goin'  t'  git  home  on 
vacation  'bout  the  middle  uv  June,  an'  she  has  writ  the 
ole  woman  an'  me  an'  told  us  she's  comin'  t'  see  us." 
By  this  time  Silas  understood  whom  he  meant,  so  he 
let  him  goon  without  question.  "The  idee  jest  struck 
Marthy  and  me  that  it  would  be  mighty  nice  fer  us  ole 
folks  ef  we  could  have  the  gal  an'  the  boy  both  there 
at  the  same  time  an'  we'd  have  a  big  dinner  fer  'em. 
Marthy  says  it's  jest  the  thing,  an'  we  air  jest  buildin' 
big  on  the  prospects  uv  it.  She  says  t'  me,  'Henry, 
it'd  seem  jest  like  they  wuz  our  own,  wouldn't  it?  an' 
we  kin  jest  play  they  air  our  own,  an'  there'll  be  jest 
us  four  at  the  table — ye  at  that  end  an'  me  at  this,  an' 
Silas  will  set  there  at  that  side,  an'  Julie  will  set  here 
on  this  side,  facin'  each  other.'  An',  Silas,  do  ye 
know  the  dear  ole  thing  sat  there  an'  let  the  tears  come 
out,  an'  it's  been  many  a  day  since  that  happened  afore. 


SILAS  COBB 


It's  a  sad  thing,  Silas,  not  t'  have  no  children  t'  love 
ye  an'  t'  love,  au'  maybe  that's  why  we  cling  to  ye  so 
hard,  Silas,  an'  it  may  be  that's  what  made  the  tears 
come."  lie  seemed  to  forget  Silas'  presence  for  a 
moment,  and  sat  in  a  deep  study  while  he  turned  back 
through  the  years  like  leaves  of  a  book,  hunting  for 
some  one  back  there  in  the  silence  among  the  dead 
things,  and  dreaming  over  it  again.  Then  he  remem- 
bered that  he  lived  in  the  present,  and  went  on  with 
his  talk. 

"The  recollection   is  'bout  all  an  ole  mail  has,  Silas, 


an'  when  he's  lived  so  long  as  I  have,  it  becomes  a  won- 
derful thing.  The  long  years  help  t'  make  entertain- 
ment fer  many  reflections  on  winter  days  when  ye' 
can't  git  out.  Ye  mought  not  believe  it  now,  Si, 
lookin'  at  me  as  I  am,  but  when  I  wuz  a  lad  like  ye,  1 
wuz  a  mighty  good-lookin'  feller.  An'  Marthy!  a  more 
likely  gal  ye  never  see.  I  wuz  jest  a  thiukin'  uv  a  time 
away  back  there  when  me  an'  Marthy  wuz  like  ye  an' 
Julie.  It  seems  t'  me  more  like  a  dream.  This  may 
seem  odd  t'  ye,  Silas  when  I  tell  ye  Marthy  rid  behind 


234  SILAS  COBB 

me  on  a  horse  ten  miles  to  bear  some  feller  make  a  big 
speech  fer  Andy  Jackson.  Then's  when  \ve  had  our 
first  courtship,  Silas,  an'  I  kin  remember  t'  this  very 
day,  tho'  it's  been  more'n  fifty  years,  jest  how  she 
looked  that  day  as  we  rode  through  them  big  woods. 
I'd  jest  like  t'  feel  agin,  Silas,  jest  as  I  did  that  fine 
summer  day  when  I  felt  Marthy's  pretty  arm  clingin' 
t'  me  an'  felt  her  warm  breath  on  my  neck.  We  didn't 
care  much  whether  we  ever  got  t'  the  meetin',  but  in 
time  we  did  arrive.  Ye  see  in  them  days  the  country 
wuz  new,  an'  there  wuz  skursly  any  place  fer  people  t' 
go  fer  pleasure,  so  these  speakin's  alus  brung  out  the 
people.  Well,  sir,  Silas,  ye  mought  not  believe  it 
now,  but  Marthy  wuz  much  like  the  gals  air  now-a- 
days.  The  meetin'  wuz  held  in  the  woods  an'  every- 
body brung  their  dinners.  I  mind  how  her  bright 
eyes  danced  with  delight  at  the  lively  scenes  at  the 
meetin',  an'  her  pretty  face  wuz  all  aglow.  Then 
there  wuz  Jim  Hensley  an'  Jim  Cox,  an'  two  or  three 
more  fellers  who  wanted  t'  talk  t'  Marthy  all  the  time. 
An',  Si,  atween  you  an'  me,  I  think  Marthy  wanted  t' 
make  shore  I  loved  her  by  seein'  ef  I'd  be  jealous.  So 
she  took  a  drink  uv  cider  with  Jim  Hensley,  an'  Jim 
Cox  he  swung  her  in  a  big  grape-vine  swing  he  fixed 
up.  We  didn't  listen  much  t'  the  speaker.  I  mind 
hearin'  him  say  somethin'  'bout  the  National  Bank 
bein'  a  menace  t'  the  country,  an'  ever'  now  and  then 
he'd  wind  up  a  sentence  by  sayin,  Old  Hickory  would 
shorely  be  elected  president!  Ye  see  Silas,  I  wuz  busy 
watchin'  Cox  an'  Hensley  an'  keepin'  atween  them  an' 
Marthy  much  ez  I  could  'thout  show  in'  it.  An'  t' 
think  now  that  them  pore  fellers  died  afore  ye  wuz 
born,  Silas,  an'  out  in  the  woods  where  Cox  wuz 
buried,  there's  a  big  poplar  tree  growin'  over  his  grave. 


SILAS  COBB  235 

Well,  as  I  said,  I  wuz  too  absorbed  in  Martby  t'  tbink 
much  about  who  wuz  t'  be  president,  so  by  an'  by  I 
managed  to  git  Marthy  away  'long  after  dinner  some- 
time, an'  we  loitered  along  the  way  home  under  the  big 
shady  trees.  Fer  a  long  way  I  jest  pouted,  kinder 
wantin'  t'  be  made  over  a  leetle,  ye  know.  By  an'  by 
Marthy,  she  says  t'  me,  'Henry  Boggs,  what's  the 
matter  with  ye,  anyway?  Air  ye  pouting  about  Jim 
Hensley? 

"  'No,'  says  I,  sad  like." 

"'Jim  Cox?'" 

"  'No',  says  I  sadder'n  ever." 

"  'Well  then,'  "  says  she,  "  'what  is  the  matter?'  " 

"Ye  see,  Silas,  I  didn't  jest  like  t'  own  up  that  I 
wuz  jealous  uv  them  fellers,  so  I  jest  says:  'I  don't 
think  ye  love  me,  Marthy.  Ye  like  them  fellers 
better'n  ye  do  me;'  an'  we  rode  on  in  silence,  an'  she 
not  say  in'  a  word  t'  me.  It  finally  come  t'  me  that  I 
had  offended  her  by  doubtin'  her  love  fer  me,  yet 
there'd  been  nothin'  said  atween  us,  an'  I  felt  so  mean 
an'  sorry  that  I  jest  dropped  the  bridle  rein  down  on 
Dollie's  neck  an'  jest  put  my  own  big  warm  hand  up 
over  her  little  plump  hand  as  it  lay  around  my  waist 
and  squeezed  it  affectionate  like.  Then  I  felt  her  face 
up  against  my  shoulders,  an'  I  kuowed  she  wuz  cryin'. 
I  turned  in  the  saddle,  an'  tried  t'  git  her  face  'round 
so  I  could  see  it,  but  she  kept  it  hid  fer  a  long  time, 
'bout  as  near  the  middle  uv  my  back  as  she  could  git 
it,  till  we  come  t'  a  spring,  an'  I  says,  'we  stop  here, 
Marthy,  an'  git  a  drink.'  Now  there  wuz  a  stump  jest 
right  fer  her  t'  git  off  on,  but  ye  know,  Si,  I  had 
designs  in  my  mind  jest  like  many  another  young  fel- 
ler has  had,  so  I  jest  tossed  my  right  leg  over  Dollie's 
neck  an'  dropped  t'  the  ground,  an'  I  says  'come, 


236 


Marthy  dear,  an'  we'll  rest  an'  drink  by  the  wayside.' 
An'  do  ye  know,  Silas,  as  I  helped  her  down,  seein' 
her  eyes  red  from  cryin',  I  jest  caught  her  up  in  my 
big  arms,  an'  she  afterwards  told  rne  I  come  moughty 
nigh  smotherin'  her,  kissin'  her  so  much.  Then  we 
set  by  that  spring  among  the  May  apples  and  wild 
flowers  in  that  wood  fer  a  long  time,  smilin'  an' 
a-laughin'  an'  a-kissin'  each  other.  It  wuz  a  grand  day, 
Silas.  I  recollect  now,  too,  after  we  got  seated  an' 
Marthy's  head  lay  on  my  shoulder,  a  doe  an'  her  fawn 
come  t'  the  spring  t'  git  water,  but  seein'  us  they 
scampered  off  agin.  An'  t'  think  that  even  them 
great  woods  air  dead  an'  gone,  an'  that  spring  has  been 
neglected  an'  lost  in  the  earth,  an'  only  Marthy  an'  me 
left  uv  all  that  we  saw  an'  kuow'd  in  that  springtime 
uv  our  lives." 

He  sat  for  quite  a  time  smiling  sadly  over  it,  totally 
lost  to  his  surroundings.  At  last  he  started  up  in  a 
hurry,  happening  to  think  of  Ed  Smith  in  the  outer 
office  waiting  for  them. 

"Sufferiu'  Moses!  Silas,  t'  think  ye'd  let  me  set  here 
an'  waste  yer  time  this  way,  when  Mr.  Smith's  waitin'. 
Shame  on  ye,  boy!" 

"Oh,  that's  all  right,  Mr.  Boggs.  You  needn't 
worry  about  that.  I  have  enjoyed  your  story  so  well 
I  wouldn't  have  had  it  interrupted  for  a  groat  deal." 

"Well,  ye  see,  Silas,  it  wuz  all  'cause  I  wuz  thinkin' 
'bout  this  dinner  we  air  t'  hev,  an'  how  like  Marthy  an' 
me  ye — ,  well,  ye're  comin'  out,  3i,  son,  when  Julie 
comes?  Ye  can  bring  her  out  with  Blaze-face,  an'  we 
will  jest  kill  the  fatted  calf,  I  kin  tell  ye." 

"I'll  come,  sure,  Mr.  Boggs,  and  will  bring  Miss 
Howe  with  me." 

The  old  man   didn't  say  a  word   then,   but  as  they 


SILAS  COBB  237 

walked   to   the    door    he   put  his   arm    affectionately 
around  Silas  and  said:     "Thank  ye,  son." 

When  the  old  man  was  gone,  Silas  and  Ed  sat  look 
ing  at  him  from  the  window  as  he  crossed  the  street 
below.  In  spite  of  his  great  age  he  looked  like  a  per- 
fect man. 

"He  must  have  been  a  handsome  fellow  when  he  was 
young,"  mused  Smith,  as  he  watched  him. 

"Undoubtedly,"  replied  Cobb.  "He  has  just  been 
telling  me  a  love  story,  and  no  one  can  tell  a  better 
one,  either.  He  looks  upon  me  as  his  son,  and  has 
just  invited  me  to  a  dinner  at  his  house  in  June — 
myself  and  a  young  lady.  There  are  just  to  be  the 
four  of  us  present,  and  the  dear  old  things  are  going 
to  'make  believe'  that  the  young  lady  and  I  are  their 
children.  Well,  this  idea  made  him  reminiscent,  and 
he  told  me  his  own  love  story,  and  I  tell  you  it  was 
just  as  full  of  life  and  tender  interest  as  anybody's." 

"Who  is  the  young  lady,"  asked  Smith. 

"Miss  Howe." 

Smith  gave  him  a  searching  glance  and  asked: 
"Who's  she?" 

"One  of  my  teachers,"  he  answered,  looking  very 
innocent. 

"Of  course,  but  which  one?  What  are  you  blush- 
ing about,  man?" 

Silas  wasn't  blushing  at  all,  but  no  sooner  was  he 
charged  with  it  than  he  did  blush. 

"Well,  I'll  give  you  her  history  if  you  like.  Let 
me  see,  she  was  born  of  good  parentage,  June " 

"That's  enough.  Just  wanted  to  know  the  month. 
It's  all  clear  to  me.  That's  a  fatal  month  to  be  born 
in.  It's  a  sad  case,  Silas.  No  hope  for  you  now.  I 
have  looked  forward  to  many  days  of  your  society,  but 


238  SILAS  COBB 

you  see  fit  to  transfer  your  affections  to  a  female  this 
early  in  the  game,  which  shows  you  to  be  a  fickle  man." 

"Oh,  it's  not  so  bad  as  that.      We  are  only  friends." 

"Brother  and  sister,"  suggested  Smith. 

"Just  here  the  conversation  was  interrupted  by  the 
entrance  of  "Misther"  Mulvany,  living  in  the  district 
where  Oliver  Scotland  taught  school,  and  Silas'  late 
scene  of  war. 

"Why,  how  do  you  do,  Mr.  Mulvany?" 

"Good-afthurnoon  to  yersilf,  Misther  Cobb;  an'  how 
is  yer  health  this  foine  day?" 

"Very  good,  indeed,  Mr.  Mulvany.  Let  me  intro- 
duce you  to  Superintendent  Smith,  of  Brownville.  Mr. 
Mulvany,  Mr.  Smith." 

"Oh,  an'  it's  Misther  Smith,  is  it?  Yis,  I  know  of 
ye,  sor." 

"Nothing  bad,  I  hope,  Mr.  Mulvany?" 

"No,  indade;  ye're  loike  Misther  Cobb." 

"How  like  him,  Mr.  Mulvany?" 

"Well,  ye're  both  good  foighters.  An',  Silas,  they 
do  tell  me  ye  have  declared  war  on  Jarmany?" 

"Why,  how  is  that?" 

"The  dommed  Dutch  of  our  deestrict  say  ye  air 
makin'  war  on  'em  by  firm'  that  dirty  spalpeen  Scot- 
land, an'  I  come  in  to  offer  ye  the  sarvice  of  the  royal 
order  of  the  Mulvany s.  The  Irish  air  wid  ye,  Misther 
Cobb,  to  the  bloody  ind." 

"I  hope  there  won't  be  any  blood-letting,  Mr.  Mul- 
vany," replied  Silas  laughing. 

"The  Irish  are  the  greatest  people  on  earth,"  inter- 
rupted Smith,  "to  fight  for  their  friends." 

"Right  ye  air,  Misther  Smith.  The  Irish  has  been 
consistent  inimies  of  the  Dutch  of  our  deestrict  for 
comin'  twinty  years  now,  because  the  dirty  spalpeens 


SILAS  COBB  239 

discharged  Katie  Burke  because  she  made  the  byes 
wash  their  faces  in  the  creek  ivery  marnin'.  Yis,  sor, 
the  war  has  been  a  long  an'  bloody  wan.  Oh,  ye'll 
have  a  toime  with  thim  Dutch,  Misther  Cobb,  an'  I 
prophesoy  a  war  of  at  least  twinty  years'  dooration." 

"My  goodness!  Mr.  Mulvany,  you  don't  mean  the 
German  people  of  your  district  are  so  wrought  up  over 
the  Scotland  matter  as  that?  I  cannot  understand  how 
any  one  can  consistently  defend  the  action  of  Mr. 
Scotland." 

"It's  consistency,  is  it,  ye' re  afthur  findin'  in  the 
Dutch?  Ye're  wrong,  Silas.  It's  inimies  ye'll  find, 
good  and  str-rong.  Scotland  was  wan  of  thim — dirt 
an'  all — an'  ye  mark  me  worruds,  me  bye,  it'll  take 
twinty  years  of  hard  foightin'  to  subdoo  them  Dutch, 
onless  ye  have  the  Irish  at  yer  back,  which  ye  will,  of 
coorse." 

It  now  became  necessary  to  explain  the  whole  situa- 
tion —how  Silas  found  Scotland's  school,  and  his  method 
of  dismissal,  etc.  Superintendent  Smith  was  greatly 
interested,  and  after  Mulvany  had  gone,  he  and  Silas 
went  over  the  whole  ground  together.  Smith  was  of 
the  opinion  that  he  had  acted  exactly  right,  whereas 
Silas  held  that  he  had  not  been  diplomatic  enough.  He 
had  been  too  plain  in  his  speech,  while  he  could  have 
attained  the  same  results  by  having  no  unpleasant  words 
with  Scotland.  Still,  he  did  not  intend  to  discharge 
him  to  begin  with,  but  only  came  to  that  decision  after 
he  had  shown  his  ugly  disposition. 

After  all  their  arguments,  they  agreed  in  the  end  that 
every  case  demanded  special  action,  and  the  action  can 
never  be  forecasted.  Taking  everything  into  account, 
Scotland's  utter  incapacity,  his  vulgar  personality,  and 


240  SILAS  COBB 

general  character,  aud  all  the  circumstances  of  Silas' 
conversation  with  him,  his  idea  of  helping  him,  etc.,  it 
is  hard  to  say  whether,  after  all,  he  did  not  act  exactly 
right  or  at  least  logically  on  the  subject. 


CHAPTKR  XL. 

IN  the  meantime  Josephine  Alger  was  getting  the 
upper  hand  of  the  people  in  the  Dutch  settlement, 
and  Oliver  Scotland's  influence  was  gradually  los- 
ing force.  Contrary  to  Mr.  Mulvany's  prophecy  of  a 
"twinty-year  war,"  the  patrons  of  the  school  began  to 
see  and  gradually  understand  the  difference  between 
Miss  Alger  and  Mr.  Scotland.  The  pupils  became 
enthusiastic  in  their  work,  and  the  influence  was  so 
marked  that  the  parents  at  home  began  to  feel  it.  In 
time,  as  each  one  felt  the  justice  of  Superintendent 
Cobb's  action,  they  gradually  began  to  discuss  it  among 
themselves,  and  in  the  end  nearly  all  of  them  became 
enthusiastic  supporters  of  the  county  superintendent 
under  all  circumstances. 

The  work  of  gradation  and  classification  in  the 
county  was  carried  forward  by  the  teachers  in  a  faith- 
ful and  successful  manner,  and  watched  by  the  superin- 
tendent with  as  much  care  as  a  mother  watches  the 
growth  of  her  new-born  babe. 

Silas  felt  the  importance  of  the  work  sufficiently  to 
warrant  his  going  carefully  into  the  details  of  the 
course  of  study  each  month,  to  outline  the  work  for 
the  teachers,  and  to  show  them  how  to  do  it  all,  yet 
keep  the  number  of  classes  down  to  the  minimum. 

In  the  spring  he  asked  each  teacher  to  report  to  him 
the  number  of  pupils  in  his  school  that  would  be  able 
to  finish  the  course  up  to  and  including  the  eighth  year. 

After  that  he  arranged  his  examinations  for  each 
school  or  township  according  to  conditions  and  circum- 
stances, and  appointed  two  or  three  teachers  to  con- 
16  duct  the  examination  in  each  township  or  locality.  It 


242  SILAS  COBB 

resulted  in  forty  or  fifty  pupils  passing  the  desired 
grade. 

Graduation  exercises  were  then  arranged  for  in  each 
township,  and  in  some  instances  in  two  or  three  places 
in  a  single  township.  It  was  arranged  so  no  two  of 
the  exercises  were  held  on  the  same  night,  thus  enab- 
ling Silas  to  attend  them  all  and  award  the  diplomas  to 
the  pupils.  Great  interest  was  aroused  among  the  peo- 
ple. The  first  exercises  of  the  series  were  held  at  a 
country  church,  where  three  schools  having  ten  gradu- 
ates among  them  met  together.  It  was  a  great  night, 
and  all  the  people  able  to  go  were  present.  Some  three 
hundred  persons  crowded  into  the  little  church,  eager 
and  enthusiastic.  It  was  in  Muddy  Creek  township, 
and  the  schools  represented  consisted  of  District  No.  8, 
Silas'  old  school;  District  No.  6,  Josephine  Alger's  old 
school,  and  District  No.  4,  Miss  Wiuterset's  school. 
It  will  be  remembered  by  the  reader  that  Miss  Winter- 
set  was  the  teacher  Silas  had  the  scene  with  while  visit- 
ing her  school  a  few  weeks  previous. 

Great  preparation  had  been  made  for  the  occasion, 
and  a  formal  program  was  prepared.  Each  graduate 
was  to  speak  a  piece  or  read  an  essay,  and  several 
of  the  leading  patrons  were  on  the  program  for  short 
talks.  Miss  Josephine  Alger  had  come  back  from 
"Dutchland"  for  this  special  occasion  to  help  carry  out 
the  program,  and  it  had  been  arranged  mainly  by  her. 
As  Silas  glanced  over  the  program  and  noted  that  it 
called  for  speeches  by  Henry  Boggs,  Caleb  Fisher,  Silas 
Cobb  and  Sain  Street,  he  knew  well  enough  that  Jose- 
phine Alger's  common  sense  did  that  part  of  it  at  least. 
It  was  a  great  scheme  to  get  the  leading  men  of  the 
district  interested.  Silas  noted,  too,  that  his  name  was 


SILAS  COBB  243 

on  the  program   for  awarding  the  diplomas  as  well  as 
for  making  a  speech. 

Miss  Alger  was  mistress  of  the  ceremony,  and  she 
was  in  her  place  at  the  proper  time  to  begin.  The 
graduates  were  properly  bedecked  in  ribbons  and  bou- 
quets and  seated  on  the  rostrum.  Old  Henry  Boggs 
was  the  only  man  on  the  rostrum,  and  he  sat  there, 
puffed  up  with  pride,  by  the  side  of  Miss  Alger.  He 
seemed  so  happy,  good-natured  and  true,  that  it  did  the 
people  good  to  look  at  him.  When  Miss  Alger  had 
led  him  up  from  the  audience  and  seated  him  by  her, 
the  audience  burst  out  with  applause.  Most  everybody 
loved  Henry  Boggs,  and  always  showed  it  on  the  least 
provocation. 

Caleb  Fisher,  from  District  No.  4,  Miss  Winterset's 
school,  had  put  on  his  best  clothes,  and  as  a  result,  was 
suffering  horribly.  He  sat  with  Sam  Street  and  Mr. 
Willoby,  from  No.  6,  on  the  front  row  of  seats  under 
the  pulpit. 

It  was  a  great  night  for  Muddy  Creek  township. 
Everybody  had  on  their  good  clothes,  and  the  idea  of 
having  graduates  in  the  township  filled  the  people  with 
pride.  Then,  too,  Superintendent  Cobb  was  to  be 
there  and  make  them  a  speech;  that  alone  would  bring 
out  the  people. 

Finally,  after  an  appropriate  introduction  by  Miss 
Alger,  and  amid  much  anxiety  on  the  part  of  the  teach- 
ers, the  oratory  of  the  graduating  class  was  launched. 
Miss  Winterset  and  Miss  Phillips  sat  demurely  back  of 
Henry  Boggs,  and  were  completely  hidden  by  that 
worthy  gentleman.  The  audience  listened  with  much 
interest  to  the  pupils,  and  all  the  little  boys  and  girls 
envied  them  with  all  their  hearts,  and  longed  for  the 
day  when  they,  too,  would  be  so  honored. 


244  SILAS  COBB 

Then,  when  the  class  had  finished,  Silas  awarded 
them  their  diplomas,  at  the  same  time  making  clear  to 
them  the  object  of  the  work,  and  how  this  was  only 
their  first  step  toward  a  higher  education.  The  high 
school,  or  some  other  school  of  higher  learning  should 
be  entered  at  once.  If  that  were  not  possible,  then 
continue  in  their  home  school,  taking  up  the  ninth  year 
of  the  course  of  study. 

Old  Henry  Boggs'  turn  came  next. 

Miss  Alger  introduced  him  as  the  oldest  and  most 
honored  citizen  of  the  township,  which  did  much  in 
stimulating  him  to  do  his  position  credit.  Silas  was 
near  him,  and  could  see  that  the  old  gentleman  was  con- 
siderably wrought  up  over  his  responsibility.  Silas 
leaned  over  and  whispered:  "I  am  looking  for  you  to 
beat  that  speech  you  made  for  me  before  the  county 
committee,  Uncle  Henry." 

Everybody  was  hurrahing  for  Mr.  Boggs,  so  he  was 
too  excited  to  answer  Silas,  but  he  rose  up  amid  the 
little  people  around  him,  and  as  he  rose,  both  his  big 
long  arms  went  out  in  a  mighty  gesture  as  he  declared: 
"Feller  citizens  an'  friends:  This  is  the  biggest  thing 
we  ever  had  in  Muddy  Crick  township."  (The  audi- 
ence went  wild  with  applause.)  "I've  been  livin'  in 
these  here  parts  more'n  fifty  years,  an'  I  never  seed  any- 
thing like  it  afore.  (More  applause,  and  Mr.  Boggs 
was  warming  up  to  his  subject.)  Why  is  it  we  ain't 
never  had  sich  doin's  afore,  feller  citizens?" 

"Because  we  never  had  a  superintendent,  Henry," 
answered  a  man  from  the  audience. 

"That's  it  'zactly,  sir.  It's  because  we  ain't  never 
had  a  man  at  the  head  uv  our  schools  who  wuz  gifted 
with  the  power  an'  sense  t'  do  it.  (More  applause.) 
An'  I'll  tell  ye  another  thing,  feller  citizens,  that  we 


SILAS  COBB 


245 


will  all  agree  on,  an'  that  is  none  uv  thi§  would  have 
been  possible  'thout  these  dear,  patient  girls  here,  who 
teached  these  schools.  (This  brought  a  vigorous 
applause.)  When  I  look  iut'  the  faces  uv  ye  all,  I 
don't  forgit  that  I  wuz  a  young  man  afore  the  oldest 


"Feller  citizens  an'  friends." 

man  present  wuz  born.  Sam  Street  here,  my  neighbor, 
wuz  born  the  year  I  cast  my  first  vote  fer  Andy  Jack- 
son, an'  in  them  days  we  didn't  have  no  schools.  In 
the  hull  uv  Brush  county  there  wuz  not  a  single  school- 
house,  an'  it  wuz  several  years  afore  we  got  any.  An' 
friends,  ye  no  doubt  will  laugh  when  I  tell  ye  I 


246  SILAS  COBB 

teached  the  first  school  in  this  county,  an'  in  them 
days  I  wuz  considered  better  eddicated  than  most  men. 
I  could  read  an'  write  an'  spell  some,  an'  that  wuz 
more'n  most  men  could  do.  So  I  want  t'  show  ye  my 
intrust  in  eddication  by  bein'  present  t'-night  an 
encouragin'  these  little  boys  an'  girls  t'  git  a  good 
schoolin'.  As  ye  all  know,  havin'  no  children  uv  my 
own,  I  feel  I  ort  t'  help  eddicate  other  people's  t' 
make  up  fer  it.  So  we  want  t'  do  all  we  kin  t'  help  the 
teachers,  pay  our  taxes,  visit  the  schools,  an'  give  a 
helpin'  hand  t'  each  other.  I  specially  want  t'  tell 
these  gradeates  that  what  Superintendent  Cobb  says  t' 
them  is  true,  that  they  should  not  neglect  t'  go  on  t' 
school.  When  I  see  a  hard-workin',  faithful  boy  or 
girl  strugglin'  fer  learuiu',  I  alus  feel  like  helpin'  'em 
along,  an'  I  tell  ye,  boys  an'  girls,  ef  ye  ever  need  a 
friend  an'  an  ole  man  like  me  is  fit  fer  anything,  ye 
jest  come  t'  me. 

"I  thank  ye  all,  friends,  fer  yer  kind  attention." 
(Great  applause.) 

Caleb  Fisher,  the  supposed  philosopher,  the  silent 
one,  sat  in  a  deep  study  after  Henry  Boggs  sat  down. 
He  did  not  even  hear  Miss  Alger  announce  that  "Mr. 
Caleb  Fisher,  director  of  District  No.  4,  would  now 
address  the  people."  Sam  Street  gouged  his  elbow 
into  Caleb's  ribs,  calling  him  to  earth  again,  but  not 
with  a  start.  No  one  ever  made  Caleb  start — at  least 
in  a  hurry.  As  soon  as  it  dawned  on  him  that  he  had 
been  called  on  for  his  speech,  he  deliberately  dropped 
his  cud  of  tobacco  into  his  hand  and  transferred  it  into 
his  outside  coat  pocket.  He  had  often  done  this  before 
in  a  pinch.  There  were  no  less  than  forty  people 
between  Caleb  and  the  window,  all  of  which  he  had 
observed  long  before,  anticipating  this  dilemma. 


SILAS  COBB  247 

"Feller  citizens:  As  director  of  Deestrict  No.  4,  I 
announce  that  I  am  middlin'  well  pleased  with  this 
meetin'.  I  am  middlin'  well  pleased  with  the  chil- 
dren's speeches,  an'  am  middliu'  well  pleased  with 
Henry  Boggs'  speech.  I  am  glad  Muddy  Crick  has  at 
last  waked  up  t'  its  duty  t'  the  schools.  Thank  ye  fer 
yer  attention."  (Great  applause.) 

Sam  Street  simply  excused  himself,  saying  he  could 
not  make  a  speech,  but  everybody  knew  his  heart  was 
in  the  work  of  the  schools.  Others  from  the  audience 
spoke  after  frequent  urgings  from  Henry  Boggs  who, 
in  his  enthusiasm,  almost  assumed  control  of  the  meet- 
ing. He  and  Miss  Alger  afforded  as  great  a  contrast 
in  appearance,  as  one  could  well  imagine  as  they  sat 
there  side  by  side.  Never  before  had  there  been  such 
interest  aroused  as  on  this  night.  Silas  took  occasion 
to  tell  them  about  needed  repairs  on  schoolhouses  and 
outbuildings,  all  of  which  proved  very  effective. 

The  end  of  the  program  came  at  last,  and  then  fol- 
lowed a  general  hand-shaking  and  exchange  of  good 
wishes  all  around.  Everybody  felt  so  good  toward 
everybody  that  even  Caleb  Fisher  and  Mr.  Willoby, 
sworn  enemies,  were  seen  greeting  each  other.  Silas 
almost  forgot  the  little  scene  he  had  had  with  Miss 
Winterset  ouly  a  few  weeks  before,  in  his  warm  greet- 
ing of  the  teachers. 

After  exchanging  compliments  all  around,  the  party 
began  to  make  ready  to  start  to  their  respective  homes. 
In  the  general  confusion  of  hand-shaking  at  parting 
Miss  Winterset  managed  to  get  near  Silas  again,  and 
in  bidding  him  good-night  she  held  to  his  hand  long 
enough  to  say: 

"I  am  awfully  sorry,  Mr.  Cobb,  for  my  rude  manner 


248  SILAS  COBB 

that  day;  can  you  forgive  me?     I  am  trying  so  hard  to 
do  as  you  told  me." 

She  was  flushed  aud  eager  to  catch  his  answer  amid 
the  noise  and  confusion,  and  he  leaned  over  so  she 
could  hear  him,  and  looking  straight  into  her  eyes,  as 
if  looking  for  the  truth  of  her  words,  he  instantly 
answered: 

"It  seems  to  be  all  right,  Miss  Winterset,  and  I 
heartily  forgive  you.  Come  and  see  me  when  you  can 
aud  we  will  talk  over  the  future."  He  gave  her  hand 
a  good  hearty  grasp  aud  was  gone. 

There  is  always  something  about  a  reconciliation 
like  this  that  lingers  with  us  a  long  time.  It  may  be 
questioned  by  some,  but  it  would  seem  that  two  equally 
noble  souls,  one  wrapped  in  a  homely  physique,  and 
the  other  in  a  handsome  one,  will  exert  quite  a  diffei-ent 
influence  on  a  woman,  in  case  the  two  noble  souls  hap- 
pen to  be  men.  There  was  no  denying  the  fact  that 
Silas  Cobb  was  a  fine-looking  man,  and  it  is  a  question 
whether  or  not  this  fact  did  not  unconsciously  greatly 
influence  Miss  Winterset.  Had  Silas  Cobb  been  a 
homely  man,  would  Miss  Wiuterset  have  forgotten  his 
severe  words?  It  is  quite  probable  she  would  not, 
though  conscious  that  she  was  wrong.  At  any  rate, 
Miss  Winterset  was  still  trembling  from  excitement 
after  she  had  gotten  home  two  hours  later,  as  a  result 
of  having  been  forgiven  for  her  ill-advised  words. 

Silas  found  Mr.  Boggs  and  Miss  Alger  waiting  for 
him. 

"Silas  ye  got  t'  go  home  with  me  ferthe  night.  Miss 
Alger  is  goin'  an'  I'm  jest  debatin'  whether  I  ort  t' 
take  her  in  my  buggy  or  let  ye  take  her.  Course  the 
gal  'd  rather  go  with  me,  but  seein'  ye  mought  feel  a 


SILAS  COBB  249 

little  jealous  uv  the  old  man,  I'll  let  Josephine  ride 
with  ye!" 

"Now  I'll  tell  you,  Mr.  Boggs,  it  isn't  the  first  time 
you  have  tried  to  take  girls  away  from  me  by  showing 
yourself  generous  enough  to  give  them  up  to  me. 
Don't  you  let  him  work  any  of  his  designs  on  you, 
Miss  Alger.  lie  fully  expects  that  in  the  end  you  will 
ride  with  him,  and  I'll  show  him  you  shan't,"  and 
straightway  he  took  Miss  Alger  by  the  arm,  and 
laughing,  called  back:  "Come  on,  Uncle  Henry;  you 
ride  alone  this  night." 

Everybody  laughed,  and  Mr.  Boggs,  happy  as  could 
be  to  see  others  happy,  made  his  way  through  the 
crowd,  talking  and  laughing  with  the  young  people 
around  him.  Outside  there  were  all  sorts  of  vehicles, 
from  two-wheeled  carts  to  heavy  farm  wagons.  The 
large  wagons  were  drawn  up  in  front  of  the  door,  and 
women  and  children  would  pile  into  them,  sometimes 
as  many  as  a  dozen  to  a  wagon.  Sounds  came  from  all 
parts  of  the  yard  of  the  men  unhitching  teams  and  sad- 
dle horses,  everybody  talking,  and  quite  a  little  out- 
pouring of  youthful  vigor  in  the  way  of  yells  and 
songs.  Now  and  then  among  the  vehicles  would  come 
a  man  on  horseback,  and  riding  up  to  a  block  near  by, 
his  wife,  or  a  daughter,  or  probably  a  sweetheart, 
would  mount  behind  him,  and  off  they  would  ride  into 
the  darkness,  calling  good-by  to  those  left  behind.  In 
fact  there  were  quite  a  number  "riding  double"  as  the 
roads  were  muddy,  and  it  took  less  work  for  both  man 
and  beast. 

Silas  and  Josephine  were  seated  in  Silas'  buggy 
behind  Blaze-face,  waiting  for  Mr.  Boggs  to  get 
through  visiting  with  Sam  Street,  so  he  could  lead  the 
way  for  them.  It  was  a  foggy  night  and  the  roads 


250  SILAS  COBB 

were  muddy,  a  typical  condition  of  southern  Illinois  in 
March.  Old  Henry  Boggs  was  a  furious  driver  when  the 
spell  was  on,  and  it  was  usually  on  when  pace-making 
for  some  one.  He  had  no  sooner  started  than  the  idea 
occurred  to  him  of  showing  Silas  a  specimen  of  his 
driving,  and  giving  Dollie  Boggs  the  reins,  he  went 
down  the  road  at  a  very  swift  gait,  calling  back  to 
Silas  and  Miss  Alger,  "I'll  wait  fer  ye  t'  ketch  up  ever' 
now  an'  then." 

But  he  didn't  have  to  wait,  for  Blaze-face  fairly  tore 
the  mud  from  the  earth  with  his  powerful  strides,  and 
sent  it  against  the  dashboard  with  a  rattle.  The  wheels 
would  gather  up  great  gobs  of  it  and  throw  it  forward 
as  if  trying  to  strike  Mr.  Boggs.  No  man  could  hold 
such  a  horse  to  a  reasonable  gait  when  his  mate,  Dollie 
Boggs,  was  in  front  setting  the  pace  at  a  very  unreas- 
onable gait.  She  and  Blaze-face  had  grown  up  to- 
gether in  Mr.  Boggs'  great  pasture,  and  had  spent  the 
evening  talking  about  old  times  over  the  hitching  rack. 
So  Blaze-face  felt  it  his  duty  to  keep  up  with  her,  Silas 
Cobb  notwithstanding. 

Silas  pulled  on  the  lines  vigorously,  and  enjoyed  the 
sensation  of  fast  driving,  but  the  horse  did  not  pay 
the  least  attention  to  his  pulling.  Miss  Alger  was  not 
used  to  horses,  especially  fast  horses,  so  she  became 
frightened.  When  Silas  saw  that  she  was  afraid,  he 
made  an  earnest  effort  to  control  the  horse's  speed,  but 
he  could  not  lessen  it.  He  did  not  call  to  Mr.  Boggs 
to  lessen  his  gait,  because  the  noise  was  so  great  he 
could  not  have  been  heard.  He  laughed  in  a  confident 
manner  and  tried  to  console  Josephine  by  telling  her 
that  that  was  just  Blaze-face's  way.  He  wouldn't  harm 
a  chicken,  and  was  now  only  anxious  to  catch  up  with 
his  sweetheart,  Dollie  Boggs.  By  this  time  they  had 


SILAS  COBB  251 

reached  a  long,  level  stretch  of  road,  and  Silas  faintly 
made  out  amid  the  noise  a  jovial  whoop  from  Mr. 
Boggs,  and  Dollie  seemed  almost  to  fly  along  the  lane. 
The  mud  was  thin  and  shallow  here,  so  it  did  not 
greatly  impede  their  movement,  and  the  buggies  both 
having  tops  and  side  curtains,  the  occupants  were 
sheltered  from  the  mud. 

When  Silas  and  Miss  Alger  reached  the  entrance  to 
the  lane,  Blaze-face  took  the  bit  between  his  teeth  and 
redoubled  his  efforts.  Silas  could  not  hold  him  and 
became  uneasy  for  fear  of  a  rut  and  consequent  break- 
down. Miss  Alger  in  her  fright  grabbed  the  lines,  and 
they  both  hung  on  to  Blaze-face  for  dear  life.  At  last, 
after  an  age  it  seemed,  they  came  to  a  hill,  and  old 
Henry  Boggs  could  be  dimly  made  out  in  the  darkness. 
He  and  Dollie  seemed  to  have  had  quite  enough,  and 
Blaze-face  came  to  a  slow  trot  as  though  nothing  had 
happened,  perfectly  satisfied  now  that  he  was  rubbing 
his  nose  against  Mr.  Boggs'  back,  which  he  could  feel 
through  the  curtain.  Silas  felt  something  move  in  his 
hands,  and  realized  that  he  had  Miss  Alger's  poor  little 
hands  all  crushed  up  on  the  lines. 

"Why,  you  poor  girl!  Why  didn't  you  tell  me  I 
was  crushing  your  hands."  He  held  the  lines  over  his 
arm  and  took  her  hands  and  rubbed  them  gently  to 
restore  circulation,  and  as  he  did  so  asked  if  they  hurt 
her  much.  She  began  to  say  something,  but  fell  back 
against  the  cushions  in  a  dead  faint.  Just  at  this  mo- 
ment the  hill  was  passed,  and  away  the  horses  went  again. 

Now  Silas  was  in  a  pitable  condition.  The  horse 
was  given  the  rein  and  Silas  talked  to  Josephine,  shook 
her,  rubbed  her  face  and  hands,  tried  to  call  to  Mr. 
Boggs,  and  condemned  himself  shamefully  for  his  part 
in  bringing  her  out  on  such  a  night  after  so  much 


252  SILAS  COBB 

excitement,  and  frightening  her  to  death.  Would  she 
never  revive?  The  horse  went  faster.  Would  there 
never  be  another  hill?  He  put  his  arm  around  her  to 
hold  her  from  falling  out,  and  tried  to  make  her  posi- 
tion one  of  comfort,  still  rubbing  her  hands  with  his 
free  one.  Finally  he  remembered  that  her  collar  might 
be  tight,  so  he  unfastened  it,  and  after  a  few  moments 
she  began  to  recover  consciousness.  As  she  did  so  she 
recalled  the  cii'cumstances,  and  knew  they  were  still 
riding  furiously,  and  the  first  thing  she  said  was:  "Oh, 
we  shall  be  killed!" 

"Oh,  no,  we  won't,  Josephine.  Don't  think  of  such 
a  thing.  We  are  just  trotting  along  nicely.  Can't 
you  trust  me?  Can't  you  understand  that  I  will  take 
care  of  you?  Listen,  now,"  he  said,  with  a  determina- 
tion to  make  her  believe.  "Do  you  hear  me?"  and  he 
drew  her  up  tight  to  him  and  tried  to  shut  out  the  noise 
from  the  moving  avalanche  of  horse  and  buggy,  with 
his  hand  spread  out  against  her  face  and  ear.  "Don't 
you  know  I  have  you  safe  here,  and  there  is  no  danger? 
Oh!  I  am  a  brute  to  bring  you  out  here  and  frighten 
you  this  way.  Are  you  hurt?  Are  you  killed?  Can 
you  forgive  me,  and  Mr.  Boggs,  for  such  foolish- 
ness? Oh,  this  is  awful!"  And  Miss  Alger  lay  there 
in  his  arms  and  heard  his  ravings  and  self-condemnation. 

The  only  thing  he  could  see  in  the  darkness  was  a 
pale  face  with  closed  eyes,  and  he  felt  her  limp  body 
lying  helpless  in  his  arms.  As  he  chafed  her  hands 
and  talked  to  her  as  he  would  speak  to  a  child  to  sooth 
it,  he  felt  her  move  slightly,  and  saw  her  eyes  open. 
"Do  you  feel  better  now,  Miss  Alger?"  She  nodded 
her  head  affirmatively  without  speaking,  and  lay  still, 
apparently  contented  where  she  was. 

Perhaps  it  was  the  great  strength  of  the  magnetic 


SILAS  COBB  253 

current  passing  from  Silas  to  her  that  quieted  her  fear 
and  renewed  her  faith,  and  perhaps  she  felt  happy  and 
thrilled,  feeling  that  strong  arm  around  her  without 
being  conscious  of  the  cause  of  it.  Perhaps,  too,  he 
felt  that  lithe  form  in  his  arms  and  that  head  against 
his  shoulder.  Perhaps  the  contact  of  these  two  bodies 
produced  a  new  force.  Such  things  are  common 
enough  in  nature,  and  that  new  force  led  to  greater 
sympathy.  He  looked  again  at  her  white  face  and  her 
eyes  opened  wide  and  looked  up  into  his.  Their  faces 
were  close  together  and  their  breaths  intermingled. 
His  heart  overflowed  with  pity  for  her  and  reproach 
for  himself.  Again,  his  thoughts  flashed  out  the  his- 
tory of  her  life  of  self-sacrifice  and  sublimity  of  soul. 
He  felt  the  purest  sympathy  for  the  poor,  frail  thing 
lying  there  confidently  in  his  arms,  and  his  heart  went 
out  to  her  with  tenderness  and  brotherly  affection. 

"Are  you  afraid  now,  Josephine?"  be  asked  again 
gently,  looking  down  into  her  face. 

"No,"  she  said,  faintly,  "I  am  not  afraid  now." 

This  expressed  confidence  in  him  at  last,  and  the  great 
relief  and  happiness  he  felt  at  seeing  her  recover  from 
the  swoon  led  him,  on  the  impulse  of  the  moment,  to 
lean  over  her  upturned  face  and  kiss  her  lips.  This 
kiss  seemed  to  her  to  seal  their  troth,  and  the  love  that 
had  slumbered  in  her  heart,  restrained  for  so  long,  now 
burst  forth  in  all  its  fullness,  and  she  put  her  arm  up 
around  his  neck  and  drew  his  face  down  to  hers  in  a 
long  lingering  kiss,  and  when  Silas  looked  into  her 
eyes  again  they  sparkled  as  if  her  soul  was  on  flre. 

"Oh,  Josephine!  Josephine!"  he  cried  in  a  broken 
voice,  "What  have  I  done?  What  has  befallen  us?" 
In  a  nervous  and  excited  manner,  not  knowing  why  or 
what  he  was  about,  and  only  attracted  by  the  strong, 


254  SILAS  COBB 

pure  love  the  girl  bore  him,  he  was  holding  her  close 
to  his  heart,  when  he  was  startled  by  old  Henry  Boggs' 
voice. 

"Whoa!     Whoa,  Dollie!" 

They  had  arrived  at  Mr.  Boggs'  barn-yard  gate,  and 
Mr.  Boggs  was  calling  them  back  to  earth. 

"Well  here  we  air,  children.  Drive  right  in  while 
I  hold  the  gate  open.  Bless  my  life,  Silas,  butDollie's 
a  flyer,  ain't  she?  Just  thought  I'd  see  ef  she  could 
keep  old  Blaze-face  a-goin'  an'  blame  me  ef  she  didn't! 
Sufferin'  Moses!  but  the  boy'll  have  a  time  gittin'  'em 
cleaned  up,  won't  he?" 

"I  should  think  he  would,"  replied  Silas,  "and  you 
have  just  about  frightened  Miss  Alger  to  death,  which 
will  take  you  a  long  time  to  make  right  too." 

Mr.  Boggs  laughed  till  the  echo  bounded  back  from 
the  hill  to  the  barn  two  or  three  times.  Silas  let  the 
old  man  believe  he  was  joking,  for  Miss  Alger  touched 
his  arm  and  said,  very  softly,  "Don't  trouble  him  about 
it,  Silas." 

Silas  drove  in  and  up  to  the  yard  gate  leading  to  the 
house,  where  he  got  out  and  literally  lifted  Miss  Alger 
out  in  his  big,  strong  arms  and  set  her  on  the  stile- 
block. 

"Oh,  you  are  so  awfully  strong,  Silas.  You  must 
have  all  my  strength  now,  for  I  fear  I  can't  walk  to  the 
house."  She  got  up  to  go,  and  would  have  fallen  had 
he  not  caught  her  again. 

"Oh,  I  have  been  a  perfect  beast  with  you,  Jose- 
phine." 

"Oh,  no,  no,  you  haven't,  Silas.  I  am  only  weak 
and  trembling,  but  1  feel  ever  so  happy — so  happy  I 
cannot  express  it  all — never  in  all  the  world  can  I  tell 
it  all  if  I  talked — talked  always — don't  you  know — 


SILAS  COBB  255 

don't  you  understand?"  and  as  she  stood  on  the  step 
a  foot  above  the  ground,  her  head  was  on  a  level  with 
his.  She  leaned  over  against  his  breast  and  put  her 
pale,  sweet  face  up  to  his  as  the  tears  of  joy  rolled 
down  her  cheeks. 

"You  poor,  nerve-broken  girl!  I  am  so  sorry — 

"Is  that  you,  Josephine?"  called  Mrs.  Boggs  from 
the  front  porch.  "Corae  right  in." 

"Yes,  Aunty,  it  is  I — am  coming  right  away.  We 
have  just  arrived,"  and  with  an  affectionate  squeeze  of 
his  hand,  she  left  Silas  and  went  slowly  up  the  path  to 
Mrs.  Boggs.  He  stood  watching  her,  and  saw  Mrs. 
Boggs  take  her  in  her  arms  and  kiss  her,  and  saw  Jose- 
phine return  the  caress  very  affectionately. 

Now,  as  he  fumbled  with  muddy  tugs  and  harness 
while  unhitching,  his  blood  began  to  cool  and  Reason 
came  stalking  in  and  was  enthroned  again.  What  had 
possessed  him?  What  had  he  done?  Reason  began  to 
question  him  thus:  Don't  you  understand  what  has 
happened  to  her,  and  all  because  you  took  advantage  of 
the  nerve-torn  girl  while  she  was  recovering  from  a 
swoon?  Don't  you  understand  now  that  you  have  over- 
powered her  by  main  strength  of  life  and  mind  and 
robbed  her  of  her  heart?  Not  deliberately,  but  in  a 
wild  impulse  of  the  moment,  while  Anarchy  reigned 
instead  of  me,  Reason?  And  don't  you  unders'-and  that 
she  thinks  you  love  her,  and  considers  your  act  to-night 
as  that  of  a  plighted  troth?  And  don't  you  know  that 
your  heart  is  already  somewhere  else?  How  are  you  to 
excuse  the  wrong  you  have  done  yourself  this  night 
and  the  ruin  you  will  bring  to  two  hearts  of  the  three, 
the  very  best  you  can  do?  Oh,  you,  great  wild,  mad 
crazy  idiot!  Why  were  you  ever  born?  All  your  life 
till  now  you  have  been  noble  with  women,  and  I  have 


256  SILAS  COBB 

always  ruled  you,  but  to-night  I  am  dethroned  and  a 
firebrand  is  given  the  crown,  while  you  go  wild  and 
follow  impulse  into  a  dangerous  mire.  Fool!  fool! 
You  ought  to  be  scourged  from  the  earth!" 

So  Silas'  reason  went  on  lashing  him  into  a  fury.  He 
had  never  before  been  utterly  torn  with  remorse  for  his 
own  acts;  never  before  had  he  lost  all  control  of  him- 
self. He  would  explain  it  all  to  Josephine  and  tell  her 
into  what  utter  degradation  he  had  fallen,  and  that  he 
did  not  mean  it  in  the  sense  she  had  understood  him. 
He  must  do  it  at  once.  He  never  could  live  the  night 
through  in  such  a  false  light.  So  when  he  and  Mr. 
Boggs  got  through  stabling  the  horses,  they  went  up  to 
the  house  and  found  Mrs.  Boggs  and  Miss  Alger  bask- 
ing in  front  of  a  big  fire-place  full  of  blazing  logs.  It 
was  a  comfortable  scene  on  such  a  chilly  night.  Silas' 
hands  had  gotten  quite  cold  unhitching,  and  rather 
muddy,  too,  so  he  passed  through  into  the  kitchen,  be- 
ing perfectly  at  home,  and  washed  his  hands.  Miss 
Alger  was  looking  flushed  and  happy,  and  smiled  up 
into  his  face  so  tenderly,  his  heart  again  became  torn 
between  sympathy  and  ditty.  How  could  he  ever  tell 
her  if  she  always  looked  like  that.  He  sat  down  by  the 
fire  next  to  her.  She  looked  at  his  hands  and  saw  they 
were  blue  with  cold.  She  reached  over  and  laid  her 
warm  hand  on  his  and  said:  "Silas,  your  hands  are  so 
cold,"  and  she  did  not  hesitate  to  caress  them,  though 
Mr.  Boggs  was  sputtering  around,  talking  and  fussing 
with  his  gloves  and  overcoat,  trying  to  get  settled. 
Mrs.  Boggs  went  out  to  get  some  apples.  Josephine 
sat  looking  at  Silas,  smiling,  with  the  consciousness  of 
a  great  love.  It  softened  Silas'  harshness  toward  him- 
self, and  he  gradually  became  calmed  as  he  sat  there  en- 
joying everything- — apples,  fire,  Josephine,  Mr.  Boggs, 


SILAS  COBB  257 

Mrs.  Boggs,  the  old  home — absolutely  everything,  and 
only  now  and  then  a  pang  would  shoot  through  his 
heart  as  he  recalled  his  position. 

It  was  time  to  retire.  Mr.  Boggs  went  out  for  fuel 
for  the  morning  tire.  Mrs.  Boggs  went  for  a  lamp 
and  led  the  way  for  Miss  Alger  to  her  room.  ''Good 
night,  Silas,"  she  said,  and  she  came  up  to  him  as  Mrs. 
Boggs  went  on,  and  took  his  hand  in  hers.  Her  face 
was  turned  up  to  his  almost  pleading  for  something, 
yet  too  shy  to  take  it,  but  he  pretended  not  to  see. 
"Good  night,  Josephine,  and  I  do  hope  you  will  be 
none  the  worse  for  this  night.  I  am  so  sorry — 

"Oh  why  do  you  say  it,  Silas,  when  I  am  so  happy," 
and,  her  face  radiant  with  love,  she  patted  his  hand 
and  again  said  "Good  night,  Silas,  and  pleasant  dreams 
to  you,"  and  slowly  followed  Mrs.  Boggs  to  her  room. 

He  sat  down  by  the  tire  and  again  Reason  began  to 
scourge  him.  He  gazed  into  the  embers  for  hours — 
long  after  every  one  was  in  bed  and  asleep,  and  lived  it 
all  over  again.  His  mind  went  back  to  the  garden  in 
Terre  Haute,  and  went  over  his  little  visit  with  Julia 
Howe.  Did  they  not  understand  each  other,  though 
no  words  had  been  spoken,  and  did  she  not  love  him? 
Yet  to-night  he  had  forgotten  her  completely  and  had 
bound  himself  for  life  to  another,  unless  his  honor  was 
of  such  a  flimsy  character  that  it  would  permit  him  to 
break  her  heart  instead.  He  went  up  to  his  room, 
blew  out  the  light,  and  went  to  bed.  He  couldn't 
sleep,  so  he  got  up  and  sat  at  the  window  wrapped  in 
a  quilt,  resting  his  head  in  his  hands.  The  wind  came 
up  and  blew  away  the  clouds,  and  the  moon  shone  out 
dimly  over  the  hills.  The  bare  poplars  waved  their 
naked  arms  frantically  and  moaned  as  if  heart-broken. 
17  He  sat  there  all  the  night  through,  lost  sometimes 


258  SILAS  COBB 

in  the  thought  that  these  turbulent,  wind-swept  trees 
were  human  beings,  burdened  with  great  sorrows  like 
his  own. 

Josephine  Alger's  frail  body  was  not  equal  to  the 
continuous  strain  of  teaching.  She  had  been  so  com- 
pletely wrapped  up  in  her  work  that  the  approaching 
break  in  her  health  came  on  without  warning.  The 
added  strain  which  the  Dutch  school  brought,  and  the 
extra  work  of  arranging  the  program  for  the  graduat- 
ing exercises,  had  probably  only  quickened  the 
approach  of  a  nervous  collapse  by  a  few  days  or  weeks. 

On  the  morning  following,  Miss  Alger  was  not  able 
to  leave  her  bed.  Mrs.  Boggs  reported  her  condition 
to  Silas  and  Mr.  Boggs,  and  a  doctor  was  sent  for  at 
once.  In  the  meantime  Silas  drove  to  his  office  and 
waited  nervously  for  the  doctor's  return,  so  he  might 
ascertain  her  true  condition.  When  he  did  return  it 
was  to  be  informed  that  Miss  Alger  had  been  stricken 
with  a  fatal  malady,  due  to  a  weakened  condition  of 
her  system,  brought  on  by  over-exertion. 

Silas  hastened  to  her  at  once,  not  knowing  or  reason- 
ing why  he  went.  Mrs.  Boggs  was  faithfully  nursing 
the  sick  girl,  and  her  face  lighted  up  with  relief  when 
she  saw  Silas  had  returned.  With  tears  in  her  eyes 
she  quietly  drew  him  into  the  room  and  led  him  to  the 
bedside.  The  afternoon  sun,  low  in  the  southwest, 
was  shining  with  a  softened  glow  over  a  wintry  aspect, 
and  through  the  window  on  Josephine's  bed.  Her 
flushed  face  told  the  fatal  story  without  the  need  of 
words.  She  opened  her  eyes,  and  there  was  only  a 
momentary  recognition  and  clasp  of  the  hand  to  tell 
Silas  that  she  was  for  the  instance  conscious  of  his 
presence. 

"Don't  you  know  me,  Josephine?"  he  asked,  and  as 


SILAS  COBB  259 

he  held  her  hand  in  one  of  his,  be  laid  the  other  on  her 
forehead,  now  parched  with  fever,  and  her  lips  moved, 
but  no  sound  could  be  heard.  From  under  her  closed 
eyelids  the  tears  rolled  out  and  coursed  down  her 
cheeks,  telling  more  plainly  than  words  that  she  under- 
stood that  her  light  was  burning  very  low,  and  that 
just  as  life  had  bloomed  to  its  brightest  and  best  the 
penalty  which  old  earth  exacts  from  us  all  was 
demanded  of  her.  What  anguish  of  heart  she  suffered 
no  one  knew,  because  she  lapsed  into  unconsciousness 
while  Silas  held  her  hand,  and  the  struggle  of  life 
against  death  was  purely  one  of  an  involuntary  nature. 

But  it  is  not  the  author's  purpose  to  describe  a  death- 
bed scene,  except  so  far  as  the  event  affects  the  life  and 
acts  of  our  chief  character.  It  is  now  sufficient  to 
relate  the  simple  fact  that  Josephine  Alger  died  within 
a  week  from  the  time  of  taking  to  her  bed,  and  during 
that  time  there  was  not  a  moment  when  she  could  have 
heard  the  story  Silas  had  orginally  intended  to  tell  her; 
and  be  it  said  to  his  credit,  he  had  decided  instantly  on 
hearing  of  her  hopeless  condition  that  she  should  not 
know  it.  Why  should  not  her  conscious  moments  be 
filled  with  a  realization  of  the  love  that  is  due  every 
heart  in  the  world,  if,  in  doing  so,  one  added  moment's 
pleasure  is  gained  without  a  compensating  evil?  In 
this  case  death  was  to  pay  the  debt  in  full,  regardless 
of  all  else,  and  from  whatever  cause.  So,  in  her  con- 
scious moments,  she  felt  his  presence  in  the  room,  and 
it  was  in  this  manner  that  Josephine  Alger  passed 
quietly  out  of  the  world,  and  left  it  better  for  having 
lived  in  it. 

It  is  as  great  a  boon  as  any  of  us  can  hope  for,  if  in 
the  end  when  the  lamp  of  life  is  burning  low,  and  the 


260  SILAS  COBB 

oil  has  been  consumed  to  the  last  dregs,  the  ledger  will 
show  the  sum  total  of  the  good  to  outweigh  the  evil. 

So  Josephine  Alger  slipped  out  of  the  world  bearing 
the  secret  of  her  love  with  her,  and  left  none  behind  to 
tell  of  it,  save  Silas  Cobb,  and  he  never  told  it.  But 
as  the  months  went  by  and  nothing  but  the  memory  of 
her  remained,  he  bedecked  it  with  beautiful  flowers, 
put  it  in  a  frame  of  the  most  exquisite  design,  and  hung 
it  away  in  his  heart — in  the  most  sacredly  kept  corner; 
and  often  on  dull,  dark  days  when  alone  he  would 
draw  aside  the  curtain  and  look  at  it  regretfully,  and 
from  out  its  mysterious  folds  would  come  the  breath  of 
the  past,  and  again  that  faint,  musical  voice  that 
wandered  only  in  the  tangled  paths  of  his  mind,  would 
repeat  those  burning  words,  "Oh,  lam  so  happy,  Silas. 
If  I  could  live  forever  and  talk — talk  always,  I  never 
could  tell  it  all  to  you." 


CHAPTER  XLI. 

ONE  morning  in  May,  Silas  sat  at  his  desk  very 
busily  engaged  in  writing.  There  lay  before 
him  a  stack  of  letters  to  answer  and  a  vast 
amount  of  other  detail  to  be  cared  for.  He  had  just 
-returned  from  a  long,  tiresome  trip  over  the  hills  of 
the  county,  visiting  schools,  and  it  was  rather  annoying 
to  him  to  think  that  he  must  now  sit  down  and  spend 
his  valuable  time  writing  simple  answers  to  letters,  and 
doing  much  work  that  a  child  could  do  equally  as  well 
as  he  could.  While  thus  engaged  Mr.  James  Fox, 
chairman  of  the  board  of  supervisors  for  Brush  county, 
came  in. 

"Good-morning,  Silas." 

"Good-morning,  Mr.  Fox,  glad  to  see  you.  Come 
in." 

"Where  have  you  been  all  spring,  man?  I  have 
wasted  $20  worth  of  time  coming  in  here  to  see  you. 
This  makes  four  trips  I  have  made  to  this  office.  It's  a 
wonder  you  wouldn't  stay  and  attend  to  business,  my 
boy;  eh?" 

"Nothing  pleases  me  so  well,  Mr.  Fox,  as  to  know  I 
have  now  a  practical  illustration  of  the  niggardly  man- 
ner in  which  this  office  is  treated.  In  the  first  place 
you  have  lost  $20  at  your  own  figure,  coming  in  here  to 
see  me.  I  am  sure  there  have  been  at  least  fifty  other 
men  in  here  on  the  same  errand,  all  of  them  no  doubt 
losing  valuable  time.  But  that  is  their  fault,  for  Sat- 
urdays are  my  office  days,  and  I  am  not  supposed  to  be 
here  during  the  week.  Yet  if  I  had  a  clerk  in  this 
office,  forty  of  the  fifty  men  who  called  could  have  been 


262  SILAS  COBB 

attended  to  by  the  clerk,  and  the  other  ten  could  have 
called  on  Saturday  to  see  me." 

''Then  again,  you  see  me  sitting  here  answering  let- 
ters. I'll  read  you  a  sample:  'Please  advise  me  when 
next  teachers'  meeting  is  to  be  held.'  Here's  another: 
'What  kind  of  a  song  book  would  you  recommend  me 
to  use,'  etc.;  and  still  another:  'Send  me  a  set  of 
blanks  for  this  district.'  Now  here  I  sit  practically 
wasting  my  time,  doing  something  that  a  cheap  clerk 
could  do,  when  I  ought  to  be  giving  my  attention  to 
the  general  work  of  supervision.  Aside  from  the  work, 
this  office  should  be  open  every  day  in  the  week.  The 
people  have  a  right  to  demand  that  it  should  be  kept 
open.  Every  important  office  in  the  county  has  from 
one  to  three  clerks  except  this  one.  I  consider  that  the 
proper  control  and  supervision  of  the  schools  of  Brush 
county  require  the  services  of  one  good  clerk,  and  I 
now  formally  make  a  request  through  you  to  the  board 
for  an  order  to  employ  one  at  a  salary,  say,  of  $35  a 
month." 

Mr.  Fox  smiled,  and  said:  "Littleman  has  been  try- 
ing to  get  us  to  do  that  for  ten  years,  and  we  never 
could  see  any  need  of  it,  but  I  don't  know  but  we  were 
wrong.  Can  you  get  a  good  clerk  for  $35.00  a  month? 
Hadn't  you  better  tackle  us  for  $50.00  and  give  us  a 
chance  to  split  the  difference  with  you,  eh,  Silas?" 

"That  might  be  a  good  plan,  Mr.  Fox.  So  I  raise 
my  demand  to  $50.00;  now  when  shall  I  get  it?" 

"Well,  judging  from  Littleman's  experience — 

"But  you  are  not  to  do  that,  Mr.  Fox.  You  are  to 
judge  from  the  necessity  of  the  case.  Now  I  tell  you 
what  I'll  do:  I  will  go  right  down  with  you  now  and 
tell  the  board  in  person  what  I  want,  and  I  will  tell 
them  why  I  want  it  so  plainly  there  won't  be  any  doubt 


SILAS  COBB 

about  it.  You  gentlemen  are  all  business  men  of  sense, 
and  I  am  not  wanting  anything  a  business  man  of  sense 
can't  see  I  need,  and  if  there  is  no  obstacle  outside  of 
their  control,  in  the  way,  I'll  get  what  I  ask  for." 

Mr.  Fox  laughed  again,  and  said:  "Silas,  you  know 
not  of  what  you  speak.  Littleman  has  talked  to  that 
board  till  it's  got  to  be  a  joke,  and  they'll  laugh  when 
you  spring  the  subject  on  them;  mark  my  words." 

"All  right,  Mr.  Fox,  let  them  laugh;  but  1*11  tell  you 
right  now  this  office  shall  not  be  made  a  laughing  stock 
by  anybody  while  I  hold  it,  if  I  can  prevent  it,  and  I 
say  to  you  right  now  that  that  board  won't  laugh  when 
I  am  through  talking  to  them,  and  if  they  are  the  men 
they  seem  to  me  to  be,  they  will  act  along  the  lines  I 
recommend.  Everything  depends,  Mr.  Fox,  on  the 
faith  and  sincerity  of  the  person  making  the  request, 
provided,  of  course,  he  has  any  reason  for  making  it." 

"Well,  so  far  as  I  am  concerned,  Silas,  I  think  you 
ought  to  have  a  clerk,  and  I'll  vote  that  way,  but  this 
board  is  a  stickler  for  economy,  and  I  doubt  your 
meeting  with  success." 

They  went  down  to  the  board  room,  and  Mr.  Fox 
told  the  board  the  county  superintendent  had  a  state- 
ment to  make  to  them. 

Silas  began  by  recounting  the  nature  of  his  corres- 
pondence, and  the  amount  of  printed  matter  that  ought 
to  be  mailed  each  month.  He  showed  how  much  of  his 
time  he  was  taking  for  that  class  of  work,  and  how 
much  it  was  costing  to  do  it.  He  then  showed  them 
how  annoying  and  inconvenient  it  was  for  the  office  to 
be  closed  all  week,  when  the  people  wanted  to  transact 
business  with  it.  By  this  time  there  seemed  to  be  no 
inclination  to  smile,  and  when  he  launched  into  com- 
parison, showing  the  clerk  hire  of  other  offices  and  the 


264  SILAS  COBB 

work  to  be  done  in  them  as  compared  with  his,  giving 
facts  and  figures,  the  board  settled  down  to  an  honest 
consideration  of  the  subject.  It  was  not  so  much  the 
facts  that  moved  the  board  as  it  was  the  firm  conviction 
that  they  were  not  being  trifled  with;  that  Silas  Cobb 
was  eminently  a  man  of  acts,  sincere  and  conscientious. 
They  were  overwhelmed  with  his  push  and  enthusi- 
asm, backed  up  with  a  positive  knowledge  of  what  was 
needed,  and  the  courage  to  make  a  gentlemanly  and 
vigorous  demand  for  it.  None  of  Littleman's  simper- 
ing, smirking  and  apologetic  manner  belonged  to  him. 
He  looked  upon  the  subject  as  a  duty  the  board  owed 
the  people  and  not  as  a  favor  to  him.  When  he  sat 
down,  old  Henry  Boggs  who  was  a  member  of  the 
board,  got  up  and  made  a  motion  to  the  effect  that  the 
office  should  have  a  clerk,  and  the  salary  was  not  to 
exceed  $50  a  month.  Henry  Boggs  was  also  a  man  of 
strong  convictions,  and  his  speech  was  not  gaiusaid  by 
any  one.  The  motion  prevailed,  and  Silas  made  another 
speech  in  which  he  thanked  the  board  for  its  conces- 
sions to  the  interests  of  the  schools. 

Thus  sincerity,  good  sense,  forcefulness,  scored 
again  where  quackery,  lack  of  character  and  trimming 
to  every  wind  had  failed,  after  repeated  efforts.  It  is 
always  so.  Brave  men  of  honest  mien  forge  ahead; 
weak,  simpering,  smirking  trimmers  trail  behind 
repeating,  "You  can't  do  it." 


CHAPTER  XLII. 

DURING  the  spring  mouths  following  the  gradua- 
tion exercises  in  Muddy  Creek  township,  Silas 
attended  many  similar  functions  in  different 
parts  of  the  county.  Everything  went  along  nicely,  on 
time  and  according  to  plans.  Nearly  all  of  the  pupils 
finishing  had  made  arrangement  for  a  course  in  some 
other  school.  Brush  county  had  never  felt  such  uni- 
versal sentiment  toward  higher  education.  It  was  esti- 
mated that  Silas  talked  to  five  thousand  people  at  these 
various  meetings.  It  was  truly  an  era  of  great  progress, 
educationally,  in  the  county.  The  oldest  citizens  had  no 
similar  period  in  mind  to  compare  with  it.  Professor 
Littleman  had  sunk  in  the  estimation  of  the  people  to 
that  of  a  sham  and  his  talk  was  laughed  at  even  by  the 
children. 

So  matters  had  progressed  to  the  middle  of  June  of 
Silas'  second  year  in  office.  This  was  the  time  when 
Julia  Howe  was  to  return  to  Cowville  from  her  year's 
work  at  Terre  Haute  in  the  Normal  school.  She  had 
been  notified  by  Henry  Boggs  of  the  day  dinner  was  to 
be  served  in  her  honor  at  his  home,  and  he  had  come  in 
person  to  Cowville  to  remind  Silas  of  his  promise  to 
bring  her  out.  "Now  don't  ye  fergit,  son,  t'  have 
Blaze-face  ready  bright  an'  early  an'  drive  carefully 
over  the  rough  places,"  was  his  parting  remark. 

So  Silas  wrote  the  following  letter  as  soon  as  Mr. 
Boggs  was  gone: 

DEAR  Mifs  HOWE:  You  will  probably  be  at  home 
by  the  time  this  letter  reaches  you.  I  will  save  my 
welcoming  message  and  deliver  it  in  person  next  Sun- 
day morning.  I  beg  to  inform  you  that  I  am  delegated 


266  SILAS  COBB 

by  Mr.  Henry  Boggs  to  deliver  your  person  at  his 
house  "bright  and  early"  Sunday  without  fail.  I  hope 
you  will  submit  quietly  without  making  a  scene.  Be 
so  kind  as  to  advise  me  whether  I  may  have  to  use 
force  in  carrying  out  Mr.  Boggs'  orders. 

Your  friend, 

SILAS  COBB. 

A  fews  days  later  Silas  received  the  following  note: 

DEAR  MR.  COBB:  lam  in  receipt  of  your  note  of  a 
few  days  ago.  I  can  only  say  that  in  view  of  my  help- 
less condition  and  the  overpowering  force  against  me, 
I  shall  submit  to  the  conspiracy  with  as  much  grace 
and  dignity  as  possible.  You  need  not  bring  extra 
force  nor  put  me  in  irons.  Your  friend, 

JULIA  HOWE. 

So  Sunday  morning  Silas  walked  down  to  Mrs. 
Howe's  residence,  first  leaving  orders  for  Blaze-face  to 
be  brought  around  a  half  hour  later. 

When  near  the  house  he  saw  Julia  out  in  the  yard 
cutting  a  bouquet  of  roses  for  Mrs.  Boggs.  It  had 
been  a  long  time  since  he  had  seen  her,  and  it  seemed 
to  him  she  had  grown  taller  and  more  dignified,  which 
greatly  enhanced  her  natural  beauty.  She  was  dressed 
in  some  sort  of  dark,  shimmering  stuif  that  well  be- 
came her,  and  her  black  hair  and  rosy  complexion  har- 
monized nicely  with  her  gown.  Silas  felt  his  heart 
beat  faster  as  he  drew  near,  and  the  warm  blood  steal- 
ing into  his  cheeks.  He  had  reached  the  gate  before 
she  saw  him  and  was  leaning  over  it  smiling  down  upon 
the  scene  when  she  looked  up. 

"Oh,  it  is  you,  is  it,  Silas?  Well,  here  I  am,  ready 
to  be  overcome  and  carried  to  Mr.  Boggs.  How  are 
yoti  sir,  anyway?"  And  she  came  forward  looking  so 
lovely  and  happy,  Silas  almost  lost  himself  in  confu- 
sion, staring  at  her. 


SILAS  COBB  267 

"Julia,  I  am  am  awfully  glad  to  see  you  again  and 
welcome  you  back  to  Cowville.  How  have  you  been? 
My,  but  you  are  the  very  picture  of  health."  He  was 
holding  both  her  hands  now  and  smiling  down  into 
her  face.  They  made  a  picture  of  wholesome,  honest, 
young  manhood  and  womanhood  that  was  good  to  see. 
After  their  first  greeting  was  over  she  thought  of  their 
jesting  letters. 

"Oh,  here  now!  where  are  your  bracelets?  I  have 
changed  my  mind — a  woman's  right  you  know — and 
won't  go  unless  I  am  forced  to.  I  propose  to  be  deliv- 
ered to  Mr.  Boggs  in  irons."  And  she  held  up  two 
pretty  white  hands  for  Silas  to  put  on  the  manacles. 

"All  right,  Miss,  I'll  iron  you,"  and  he  took  hold  of 
her  hands,  bringing  them  together  and  holding  them 
tightly  in  his  own.  "Will  you  go  now  without  fur- 
ther trouble?', 

"Not  till  I  ask  mamma.  Unhand  me  villian!"  and  in 
mock  scorn  she  led  the  way  into  the  house,  Silas  fol- 
lowing, happy  as  he  could  be  to  see  her  again. 

In  a  short  time  they  were  ready  to  start  and  Blaze- 
face,  in  all  his  Sunday  "toggery"  and  dignity,  stood 
hitched  to  a  light  buggy  at  the  gate,  waiting  for  them. 
He  looked  at  Julia  as  if  he  wanted  to  speak  to  her,  and 
seemed  perfectly  delighted  to  feel  her  soft,  white  hand 
on  his  nose. 

"Isn't  he  lovely  Silas?" 

"The  proudest  and  noblest  of  his  kind  I  ever  knew. 
He  has  never  been  struck  with  a  whip,  and  I  really 
believe  if  I  should  strike  him  he  would  die  of  shame. 
Neither  is  he  afraid  of  anything.  I  never  knew  him  to 
shy  at  unknown  objects  along  the  way.  Once  we  met 
an  Italian  with  a  bear.  Blaze-face  stopped  and  looked 
it  over  thoughtfully,  and  after  a  careful  examination  he 


268  SILAS  COBB 

decided  the  bear  would  not  hurt  him  if  it  wouldn't 
hurt  a  man,  besides,  he  knew  he  was  larger  than  the 
bear  and " 

"Now,  how  do  you  know  that  Silas?  You  talk  as  if 
Blaze-face  had  taken  you  into  his  confidence,"  said 
Julia,  laughing. 

"Well,  he  almost  talks  to  me.  Once  he  got  a  little 
careless  and  let  the  buggy  run  out  of  the  track  into  a 
ditch  and  turned  me  over,  buggy  and  all.  Any  other 
horse  would  have  kicked  things  to  pieces  and  run  away. 
But  not  so  with  him.  He  stopped  perfectly  still,  with 
a  splintered  shaft  scratching  his  side,  and  looked  around 
at  me  with  the  most  sorrowful  countenance  I  ever  saw, 
and  I  really  expected  to  see  him  shed  tears.  He  was 
not  sorry  about  the  splinter,  but  sorry  because  he  had 
been  so  careless  that  he  dumped  me  out." 

"Why,  Silas  Cobb,  you  are  just  trifling  with  me, 
and  making  that  all  up." 

"Well,  now,  I'll  tell  you,  Julia;  he  did  all  I  said  he 
did,  but  of  course  I  don't  know  what  the  dear  old  fel- 
low thought,  and  as  for  the  tears,  I  am  not  sure  about 
them,  either;  but  he  has  a  face  that  has  as  much  ex- 
pression to  me  as  some  people." 

By  this  time  everything  was  ready,  and  away  they 
went  over  shady  roads,  along  pretty  little  valleys,  and 
over  bills.  It  was  a  perfect  June  day,  and  the  fields 
were  full  of  the  buzz  of  bees  and  the  fluttering  butter- 
flies. Within  an  hour  they  came  to  Muddy  Creek, 
which  name,  in  fact,  is  a  misnomer  at  this  point,  for 
instead  of  the  water  being  muddy,  it  is  clear  as  crystal 
and  babbles  over  gravel  and  rocks  of  many  strange  for- 
mations, containing  a  partial  history  of  old  earth  for 
those  discerning  enough  to  read  it.  They  drove  into  a 
clear,  cool  water  hole  near  the  ford,  where  every  trav- 


SILAS  COBB  269 

eler  draws  rein  in  passing  to  water  his  horse.  The 
branches  of  a  great  elm  spread  over  the  clear  water, 
and  the  English  sparrows  were  holding  some  sort  of  a 
convention  in  its  vast  reach  of  boughs.  A  few 
moments  later  they  assaulted  a  crow  that  dared  to  light 
on  a  dead  tree  near  by,  and  after  driving  it  away,  came 
back  in  a  wave,  blustering  and  bragging  over  their  vic- 
tory, and  began  a  quarrel  among  themselves. 

"It's  the  human  family  over  and  over  only  on  a 
smaller  scale,  isn't  it  Julia?  Look  at  the  little  imps 
bragging  about  it!  How  like  a  mob  of  boys!  I  remem- 
ber when  a  little  boy  my  father  took  me  to  Cowrille, 
and  when  I  ventured  from  his  protection  the  whole 
mob  of  street  gamins  were  right  on  to  me,  and  I  had  to 
thrash  a  lot  of  them  and  break  a  few  heads  before  I  got 
back  to  the  protecting  care  of  my  father's  coat-tail." 

"I  wasn't  watching  the  birds  so  much  as  I  was  those 
little  minnows  swimming  around  Blaze-face's  legs. 
Just  look  how  clear  the  water  is,  and  how  his  polished 
shoes  shine  in  it,  and  deceive  the  little  fish;  see  them 
nibble  at  them!" 

So  they  sat  leaning  over  the  water  watching  the 
little  fish  in  its  crystal  depths;  the  reflections  of  the  little 
birds  from  the  trees  overhead;  their  own  reflections 
dancing  on  the  rippling  surface;  hearing  the  lowing  of 
the  cattle  in  the  fields;  and  above  all,  and  better  than 
all,  feeling — what  only  strong  and  vigorous  youth  can 
feel — the  keenest  enjoyment  in  each  other's  compan- 
ionship. 

For  a  long  time  they  sat  there  in  silence,  while 
Blaze-face  enjoyed  the  cool  water  on  his  feet  and  legs. 
Now  and  then  he  took  a  glance  out  of  the  corner  of 
his  eye  at  the  occupants  of  the  buggy,  but  most  of  the 


270  SILAS  COBB 

time  he  seemed  absorbed  in  his  own  reflections — horse- 
dreams,  no  doubt. 

"Julia,"  said  Silas,  after  a  long  silence,  "I  don't  be- 
lieve there  are  many  couples  like  you  and  me  in  this 
matter  of  likes  and  dislikes.  Here  we  find  ourselves 
sitting  perfectly  contented  to  be  still,  and  drink  in  all 
this  bubbling  life  around  us.  We  do  not  feel  as  if  we 
must  say  something  to  each  other  to  keep  away  the 
yawns.  We  just  enjoy  it  all  whether  we  talk  or  not, 
don't  we?" 

"I  was  thinking  of  that  very  thing  when  you  spoke, 
Silas.  There  are  people  with  whom  we  can  communi- 
cate mentally — without  words — because  we  love  and 
understand  the  same  things.  You  and  I  seem  to  have 
the  same  love  for  Nature,  so  when  we  contemplate  it 
we  need  no  language — we  just  feel — know — appreciate 
it  all  and—" 

"Each  other,"  added  Silas. 

"Yes,  I  think  we  do." 

"You  only  think  we  do?" 

"Well,  I  know  I  appreciate  you,  Silas,  but  it 
wouldn't  become  a  young  lady  to  speak  for  her  escort, 
would  it  now?" 

"In  this  case  it  would  be  all  right,  because  you 
know  how  to  tell  the  whole  truth;  we  understand  the 
birds,  the  fish,  the — the — everything  out  here,"  and  he 
waved  his  hand  to  take  in  everything  in  sight,  "and, 
forsooth,  we  understand  each  other." 

"Yes,  I  think  we  do,  but  you  have  not  said  a  word 
about  me  yet — my  work  —and  how  well  I  have  done, 
or  how  badly.  Now  why  is  this,  sir?  I  have  come 
home  to  hear  you  say  I  have  done  well,  and  you  say 
not  a  word — not  even  a  question  is  asked,  and  all  this 
time  I  have  just  been  burning  to  tell  you.  Yet  you 


SILAS  COBB  271 

tell  me  we  understand  each  other.  Oh,  blind  man!  do 
you  think  you  can  ever  look  into  a  heart  and  know  all 
that  is  there  hid  away?  Not  in  a  thousand  years, 
though  you  were  as  wise  as — as — 

"Solomon,"  added  Silas. 

"Yes,  sir,  as  Solomon.  You  don't  know  me,  Silas 
CobbP 

"No,  but  I  like  you,  though,  Julia." 

She  looked  at  him,  assuming  an  injured  manner,  and 
retorted,  "Silas  Cobb,  you  are  a  trifler." 

"No,  seriously,  Julia,  I  was  not  jesting.  It  did 
really  seem  to  me  that  we  read  each  other's 
thoughts  without  need  of  many  words.  Now  I  have 
not  forgotten  about  your  school  work,  either.  I  have 
been  listening  to  your  talk,  and  thinking  about  it  all. 
You  keep  me  marveling  all  the  time  at  the  wonderful 
progress  you  have  made  since  a  short  two  years  ago. 
You  come  back  to  us  taller  by  an  inch,  I  know. 
Whether  it  is  due  to  actual  growth,  or  whether  your 
dignity  and  high  aims  make  you  look  that  way,  I  know 
not,  but  it  is  true,  Julia,  that  I  know  without  your 
telling  me.  You  have  done  well;  so  well  that  I  con- 
sider it  almost  marvelous,  yet  I  want  you  to  tell  me  of 
it — everything.  I  have  just  been  enjoying  you  so 
much  I  have  been  afraid  to  hurry  through  with  it  lest 
I  learn  it  all  too  soon." 

"Oh,  Silas,  do  you  really  mean  it  all?  I  don't  feel 
vain  over  it,  but  if  I  could  only  please  you  and  make 
you  feel  that  I  have  really  done  well,  it  would  seem 
enough.  For  it  was  you  who  set  me  right,  and  you 
alone  I  have  to  thank,  and  I  will  never  be  able  to 
thank  you  enough." 

"You  will,  Julia "  At  this  point  Blaze-face 

deliberately  began  to  move,  apparently  having  decided 


272  SILAS  COBB 

things  had  gone  far  enough,  and  climbing  up  the  dusty 
creek  bank,  sprinkling  it  with  water,  laying  the  dust 
nicely,  he  set  off  in  a  long,  swinging  trot  toward  the 
Boggs  home,  some  few  miles  beyond. 

"Now  what  do  you  think  of  that  for  impudence, 
Julia?  Did  you  ever  see  a  horse  that  was  any  bossier 
than  this  same  Blaze-face?" 

"No,  I  never  did,  and  you  seem  to  think  it  cute  in 
him,  just  like  some  parents  I  know  of  who  encourage 
their  children  by  laughing  at  their  smart  ways.  Am  I 
not  right,  sir?" 

"You  are,  my  lady!  I  gracefully  submit  to  the 
rebuke,  for  I  love  that  horse  overmuch  to  be  a  good 
master,  I  fear.  But  to  get  back  to  our  subject,  Julia, 
I  am  not  going  to  have  you  give  me  any  more  credit 
for  the  success  you  have  made  in  your  work.  I  saw 
one  of  your  professors  not  long  ago,  and  I  know  you 
will  pardon  me  for  dragging  all  the  information  from 
him  I  could.  I  did  it  in  the  right  spirit,  and  he  didn't 
tell  me  anything  you  would  not  want  me  to  know." 

"What  did  he  say,  Silas?" 

"He  said  your  work  was  splendid  in  every  way." 

"What  else  did  he  say?" 

"He  said  you  were  a  lovely  woman." 

"Now,  sir,  you  may  hush." 

"No,  honestly,  Julia,  that's  what  he  said." 

"Really  and  truly?" 

"Yes,  really  and  truly." 

"And  what  did  you  say?" 

"I  said  you  were,  too." 

Then  they  both  laughed  heartily,  and  Blaze-face 
pricked  up  his  ears  and  went  a  little  faster. 

"Julia,  look  yonder  at  that  old  bellflower  apple-tree 
in  the  field.  What  does  it  make  you  think  of?" 


SILAS  COBB  273 

"Oh,  Silas!  it  is  just  the  same  sort  of  a  place,  isn't 
it?  Oh  that  June-time  of  long  ago!  It  was  just 
such  a  tree,  and  just  such  a  fence  that  we  crawled 
through.  Even  the  clover  is  there,  and  it  is  June-time 
again,  and  the  bees  are  humming  the  same  old  tune.  I 
can  see  your  face  now  as  it  was  then — let  me  see,  sir,  if 
it  is  dirty  now  as  it  was  that  day,"  and  taking  his  chin 
in  her  white,  soft  fingers  she  turned  his  face  toward  her 
to  examine  it,  but  she  didn't  find  any  dirt;  instead  she 
saw  a  pair  of  longing,  black  eyes  bent  on  hers,  and  he 
felt  her  fingers  tremble. — "No,  sir,  your  face  is  clean," 
and  she  quickly  removed  her  hand  while  her  cheeks 
flushed  red. 

"Sixteen  years  ago  this  June,  Julia,  since  you  got 
the  brier  in  your  toe." 

"Yes;  isn't  it  a  long  time?" 

"And  you  cried  about  it." 

"Yes." 

"And  I  kissed  you  to  get  you  to  hush." 

"Ye-es." 

"I  forget  now  whether  you  hushed  or  not.  Do  you 
remember,  Julia?" 

"Oh  I  know  I  must  have  hushed  right  away." 

They  laughed  again.  It  was  so  easy  to  laugh.  Eve- 
rything seemed  so  bright  and  happy.  The  world 
seemed  to  be  teeming  with  it.  By  and  by  they  came 
out  of  a  bunch  of  trees  on  a  small  hill,  and  found  them- 
selves in  sight  of  the  Boggs  farm.  Lying  below  them, 
flooded  with  sunlight,  and  covered  with  waving  grain 
were  hundreds  of  acres  of  it  along  Muddy  Creek. 
Standing  at  the  foot  of  the  hills,  surrounded  by  trees, 
was  the  Boggs  home.  There  were  a  dozen  out-build- 
ings of  various  kinds,  and  back  of  them  stretched  a 

18 


274  SILAS  COBB 

large  orchard  and  from  the  roadside  the  June  apples 
showed  red  from  the  sun's  kisses. 

Mr.  Boggs  was  watching  for  them,  and  when  they 
drove  up  to  the  outside  yard  gate  he  was  there  to  greet 
them  and  help  them  out. 

"Howdy  do,  Silas,  my   boy,  and  howdy,  Miss ' 

"This  is  Miss  Howe,  Uncle  Henry,"  added  Silas, 
"and  she  knows  you  all  right.  No  use  wasting  formal- 
ities getting  you  old  friends  together,  is  there  now?" 

"Well,  I  should  say  not.  Mr.  Boggs,  I  am  so  glad 
to  meet  you  and  grasp  your  hand,  and  thank  you  for 
your  kindness  to  me."  She  took  his  big  hand  in  hers 
and  looked  up  into  his  honest  old  face  with  a  genuine 
affection,  and  added  rather  shyly,  "you  may  kiss  me  if 
you  want  to,  Mr.  Boggs." 

"Well  bless  my  heart,  now;  will  ye  jest  listen  t'  the 
dear  gal,  Silas?"  and  he  gave  her  a  ringing  kiss  on 
each  cheek  as  gallantly  as  one  could  wish,  holding  each 
of  her  hands  at  the  same  time.  Then  they  all  went  in, 
talking  and  laughing,  to  meet  Mrs.  Boggs. 

"Marthy,  here  they  air — bless  their  hearts — I  got 
'em  right  under  my  wings,"  and  without  any  introduc- 
tion she  took  Julia  to  her  heart  just  as  she  did  Jose- 
phine Alger,  and  then  she  kissed  Silas  and  wiped  her 
eyes. 

Mr.  Boggs  was  full  of  emotion  and  spluttered  around 
all  over  the  house,  in  the  kitchen  bothering  the  girl 
about  the  dinner  and  setting  everything  in  the  worst 
sort  of  confusion,  until  Mrs.  Boggs  led  him  out,  and 
told  Julia  to  make  him  stay  out. 

"Now  Mr.  Boggs,  what  can  I  do  in  such  a  case  as 
this?"  asked  Julia,  laughing. 

"Ye' re  the  boss  uv  this  house,  Miss  Howe,   ferever 


SILAS  COBB  275 

ef  ye'll  jest  stay  here.  Ef  I  jest  had  a  boy  an'  gal  like 
ye  an'  Silas,  it  would  be  more'nthe  oleman'd  deserve." 

"Let's  stay,  Silas,"  said  Julia,  "and  just  see  if  Mr. 
Boggs  is  joking.  It  seems  to  me,  Mr.  Boggs,  that  you 
are  rather  reckless  in  your  wishes.  You  can  never  tell 
how  soon  tkey  will  come  true.  And  then  just  think 
of  the  noise  and  confusion  in  the  house.  The  romps, 
the  fights,  the  breakage,  and and " 

"The  lickings,"  added  Silas. 

"Yes,  the  lickings,  Silas  Cobb,  for  I  am  sure  you 
would  have  to  be  whipped.  You  are  always  helping 
me  to  the  wrong  words.  Mr.  Boggs,  I  wish  you  would 
send  him  to  the  barn." 

Mr.  Boggs  was  now  sitting  in  his  easy  chair,  smiling 
over  the  scene  before  him,  enjoying  himself  very  much 
and  exchanging  good-natured  banter  with  the  "boy  an' 
gal,"  while  Mrs.  Boggs  supervised  the  preparation  of 
dinner.  The  table  was  set  on  the  latticed  porch  where 
the  refreshing  breezes  from  the  wooded  hills  near  by  came 
rustling  through  the  morning-glory  vines  that  had  run 
riot  over  the  lattice  work.  It  was  an  ideal  place  for 
dinner  on  a  summer  day.  Out  through  the  vines  the 
orchard  was  visible,  and  the  row  of  holly-hocks  along 
the  fence  was  in  full  bloom.  Next  to  the  holly-hocks 
was  the  long  bed  of  touch-me-nots,  tiger  lilies,  zinnias, 
bachelor-buttons,  etc.;  flitting  among  them  the  hum- 
ming-bird was  seeking  their  sweets. 

It  wasn't  long  till  Silas,  Julia  and  Mr.  Boggs  were 
all  back  in  the  kitchen,  on  the  porch,  everywhere  their 
fancy  led  them,  chatting,  laughing,  and  enjoying  every- 
thing in  sight. 

In  time  dinner  was  ready  and  all  were  seated  at  the 
table  just  as  Mrs.  Boggs  had  planned  it.  Mr.  Boggs 


276  SILAS  COBB 

at  one  end  and  Mrs.  Boggs  at  the  other,  while  Julia 
and  Silas  faced  each  other  from  the  sides. 

"Face  yer  pardners,"  called  out  Mr.  Boggs  as  they 
were  sitting  down.  "Marthy,  ain't  it  a  wonder  how 
young  we  air  feelin'  t'-day?  I  declare  ye  seem  t'  me  t' 
be  lookin'  nigh  as  fresh  as  ye  did  forty  year  ago. 
Silas,  jest  look  at  the  dear  ole  thing.  Don't  ye  think 
she's  lookin'  younger'n  usual,  now?" 

"Yes  sir,  it  is  a  fact.  I  have  noticed  it,  Mrs.  Boggs, 
and  have  been  on  the  eve  of  mentioning  it  two  or  three 
times." 

"Jest  listen  at  them  boys,  Julia.  They  are  regular 
blarniers,  ain't  they?" 

"And  there's  Julia,  too,  Mr.  Boggs;  hadn't  you 
noticed  how  pretty  and  bright  she  is  looking?"  inter- 
rupted Silas  with  a  twinkle  in  his  eyes. 

"Yes,  and  Mr.  Boggs,  I  have  been  noticing  how 
young  and  happy  you  were  looking,  too,"  said  Julia. 
"Haven't  you  noticed  it,  Mrs.  Boggs?" 

"Yes,  I  have,  but  him  an'  Silas  air  poor  matches  fer 
you  an'  me  though,  Julia." 

"Marthy,"  said  Mr.  Boggs,  and  he  winked  his  eye, 
"who  does  Julie  an'  Silas  mind  ye  uv,  way  back  yonder 
say 'bout  fifty  years  ago,  eh,  cau't  ye  remember?"  Mrs. 
Boggs  remembered,  or  at  least  knew  that  Mr.  Boggs 
referred  to  their  own  courting  days,  and  she  straightway 
blushed  in  spite  of  her  seventy  odd  years. 

"I  can't  say  as  I  do,  Henry,"  evasively  spoke  Mrs. 
Boggs. 

"Why,  Marthy  Boggs!  I  hope  ye  ain't  f ergot  our 
courtin'  days,  have  ye?"  Then  he  looked  at  Silas,  then 
at  Julia  to  see  the  effect  of  his  comparison. 

"Yes  sir,"  he  continued,  "they  'mind  me  very  much 


SILAS  COBB 


277 


uv  me  an'  you  in  them  days.  Sufferin'  Moses!  Marthy, 
them  days  wuz  worth  liviu'  wan't  they?" 

"You  didn't  know,  I  suppose,  Mrs.  Boggs,  that  your 
worthy  husband  has  told  me  his  love  story,"  said  Silas. 

"Why,  Henry  Boggs,  air  ye  crazy,  t'  tell  all  that 
foolishness  to  anybody,  let  alone  a  young  boy  like  Silas? 
Henry,  I  am  amazed!" 

Henry  Boggs  was  amused  beyond  ordinary  bounds 


"tiilas,  jest  look  at  the  dear  ole  thing.'" 

and  he  threw  up  his  hands  and  laughed  loudly,  Silas 
and  Julia  joining  him. 

"Oh  Silas,  my  boy,  she's  afeard  I've  ruined  yeferever. 
Why  Marthy,  the  boys's  older' n  I  wuz  in  them  days  an' 
a  heap  sight  sharper,  ain't  he  Julie?"  It  was  now  Julia's 
turn  to  blush. 

"You  are  right,  Mrs.  Boggs;  Uncle  Henry  has 
ruined  me  in  one  way,  for  if  I  never  experience  as  sweet 
a  love  story  as  the  one  he  told  me  you  helped  him 
weave,  I  shall  die  a  disappointed  man." 


278  SILAS  COBB 

"There  Mother,  what  ye  got  t'  say  now?  Don't  ye 
see  the  boy  is  benefitted  by  it  an'  p'raps — p'raps — 

"Perhaps  what,  Henry?" 

He  took  a  sly  look  at  Julia  and  Silas  and  replied: 
"P'raps  Silas  needed  the  experience  of  an  ole  man  t' 
guide  him." 

"Mrs.  Boggs,  did  you  notice  that  humming-bird  in 
the  morning  glories  there?"  asked  Julia,  hiding  a  smile 
behind  her  napkin.  And  Uncle  Henry  tramped  Silas' 
toe  and  winked  at  Mrs.  Boggs. 

"Henry  Boggs,  I  jest  know  ye  air  the  provokin'est 
man  I  ever  saw.  Julie,  don't  ye  mind  him.  He's  alus 
teasin'  young  girls  who  come  here.  But  ye  jest  pay  no 
'tention  t'  him.  He's  childish." 

"I  like  him,  though,  Mrs.  Boggs,"  replied  Julia 
coquetting  at  Mr.  Boggs.  "He  is  naughty  at  times, 
but  he  means  well.  He  only  wants  to  tease  Silas." 
This  last  with  a  glance  at  Silas  from  the  corner  of  her 
eye. 

So  the  banter  ran  on  for  two  hours  while  they  dis- 
posed of  a  dinner  that  was  worthy  a  king's  eating. 

After  dinner  was  over,  they  all  wandered  about  the 
old  place,  every  corner  of  which  was  hoary  with  age, 
and  enjoyed  themselves  discussing  and  examining  things 
of  interest. 

"Silas,  ye  ain't  f ergot  the  June  apples,  have  ye  son? 
I  think  ye  had  better  take  Julie  out  an'  pick  a  few.  Me 
an'  Marthy's  too  ole  t'  tramp  around  with  ye,  but  we 
want  ye  t'  make  yerselves  at  home  'bout  the  place,  an' 
have  as  good  a  time  as  ye  can  while  the  sun  shines." 

'  'All  right,  Mr.  Boggs,  we  will  ransack  the  orchard 
for  the  ripest  and  best,  and  bring  some  of  them  to  you 
and  Mrs.  Boggs.  Take  your  afternoon  nap  while  we 


SILAS  COBB  279 

find  them."  So  laughing  and  calling  back  to  the  old 
folks,  Silas  and  Julia  started  for  the  orchard. 

"Silas,  I  have  permission  from  Mrs.  Boggs  to  pluck 
any  flower  that  pleases  my  fancy,  and  it's  this  tiger 
lily.  Isn't  it  gorgeous?" 

The  flower  was  plucked  and  the  stem  thrust  through 
her  great  coil  of  black  hair,  contrasting  beautifully 
with  its  somber  background. 

••Now  Julia,  you  may  sit  down  there  on  the  grass 
while  I  climb  this  old  friendly  giant.  Many  a  time 
have  I  lost  myself  in  its  leafy  boughs.  This  tree  is 
older  than  we  are,  and  has  furnished  June  apples  for  a 
generation  to  a  thankless  race.  Now  do  you  see  those 
large,  red  ones  on  that  limb?  Well,  they  are  the  best 
on  the  tree.  I  have  learned  just  where  they  grow,  and 
— can  you  catch  them?  Good!  Julia  you  would  have 
made  an  athlete  with  a  little  training." 

"That's  enough,  Silas;  come  down  now  before  you 
fall,  and  tell  me  all  that  has  happened  to  you  since  I 
left  home." 

"All  right,  and  glad  I  am  to  do  it.  Do  you  know 
what  I  miss  more  than  anything  else  in  the  world." 

"No,  what  is  it?" 

"Some  one  to  tell  things  to;  things  you  wouldn't 
want  to  tell  just  any  ordinary  friend.  I  really  need  a 
companion  to  whom  I  can  go  and  tell  my  troubles — 
one  who  would  appreciate  and  feel  enough  interest  in 
me  to  want  to  hear  them.  Mr.  Boggs  is  the  only  man 
I  would  trust  everything  with,  and  he  is  too  old  and 
not  enough  in  touch  with  my  work  to  understand  it  all. 
Haven't  you  always  felt  better  when  you  could  talk  it 
over  with  some  trusty  friend?" 

"I  have  never  had  any  one  but  my  mother  to  talk 
heart-things  with,  and  there  are  some  things  I  never 


280  SILAS  COBB 

have  discussed,  because  there  was  not  a  fit  person  to  tell 
them  to,"  answered  Julia,  ''and  I  thoroughly  appreciate 
what  you  say.  So  if  you  will  make  me  your  confidant 
I  shall  play  my  part  with  interest  and  trustfulness.  Say 
on  now,  I  am  ready  to  take  on  the  whole  burden,"  she 
finished,  smiling. 

"Say,  we  just  get  along  nicely,  don't  we,  Julia? 
Both  got  the  same same- what  is  it  to  you ," 

"Disease,"  added  Julia. 

"Yes,  that's  pretty  good.  I  suppose  a  name  cuts  no 
figure  in  the  matter.  But  I  have  a  lot  of  office 
troubles  I'd  like  to  pour  into  your  ears,  and  see  what 
you  think  about  them.  Now  no  longer  than  last  week 
a  young  lady  called  at  my  office  for  the  purpose  of  get- 
ting me  to  endorse  her  certificate.  She  came  from 
Superintendent  Ed  Smith's  county  and  carried  one  of 
his  certificates.  I  have  great  confidence  in  his  papers, 
and  any  one  coming  from  him  always  has  immediate 
recognition  from  me.  So  when  this  lady  handed  me 
her  certificate,  I  took  a  casual  glance  at  it,  and  told 
her  I  should  be  delighted  to  endorse  anything  my 
friend  Smith  had  set  his  approval  on,  for  I  considered 
him  of  the  cream  of  the  earth,  and  so  on.  Well  she 
was  pleased  and  I  was  pleased,  till  I  took  a  second  look 
at  her.  Then  I  said  to  myself  'she  doesn't  look  right 

there  is  something  wrong  with   the  girl's  heart — 

principles — or  whatever  you  have  a  mind  to  call  it.'  I 
looked  a  little  straighter,  right  into  her  eyes,  and  she 
flinched  a  little  bit  at  that  and  I  felt  ashamed  of  myself 
for  my  boldness.  I  took  another  look  at  her  certificate. 

I  wanted  to  see  if  she  made  a  good  grade must  be 

something  extra  to  make  up  for  that  other  thing  she 
lacked,  whatever  it  was." 


SILAS  COBB  281 

"Why  what  did  she  look  like,  Silas?  Did  she  look 
so  horrible,  or  what?" 

"Oh  no,  she  was  good  looking  in  a  way,  and  wore 
good  clothes.  Some  might  say  she  was  attractive,  but 
there  was  something  out  of  joint,  and  I  couldn't  have 
named  it  for  I  didn't  know.  I  only  knew  that  she  had 
a  blemish.  So  I  scanned  the  certificate  more  closely, 
aud  what  think  you  I  saw?" 

"Low  grades,  I  suppose." 

"Not  a  bit  of  it.  Her  grades  were  splendid,  but 
the  first  figure  on  seven  different  grade  marks  had  been 
raised  from  20  to  30  per  cent.  Thus  a  7  had  been 
changed  to  a  9  by  simply  connecting  the  point  of  the 
7  with  the  stem.  I  looked  at  them  more  closely  and 
then  glanced  at  her;  she  became  red  in  the  face,  and 
told  me  in  act  and  mind  as  plainly  as  if  she  had  spoken 
that  she  had  raised  those  figures.  Then  I  asked  her  if 
she  had  had  the  certificate  in  her  possession  ever  since 
it  was  given  her. 

"  'Yes, sir,'  she  said,  'I  have,  and  if  you  mean  to 
insinuate  I  have  raised  those  standings  you  are  wrong, 
for  I  didn't.' 

"  'Why  Miss ,'  I  said,  you  jump  at  conclusions. 

What  have  I  said  about  such  a  thing?' 

"  'Well,'  she  replied,  'you  act  that  way.' 

"Then  I  thought  I  would  be  justified  in  asking  her 
a  few  questions. 

"Then  Miss ,  be  so  kind  as  to  tell  me  who  raised 

these  grades?' 

"She  was  indignant." 

"  'Sir!  you  insult  me.  I  am  a  poor  girl  and  cannot 
afford  to  resent  it,  but  there  are  others  who  will.  I 
know  nothing  about  those  grades  being  raised.' 


282  SILAS  COBB 

"  'Are  these  the  grades  Superintendent  Smith  issued 
you?'  I  asked. 

"  'Yes  sir,  they  are.' 

"Well,  I  will  have  to  consult  Mr.  Smith  about  it 
before  I  can  endorse  it.  You  call  in  to-morrow  and  I 
will  be  able  to  act  on  the  subject.' 

"  'You  won't  endorse  my  certificate,  then?  My 
school  begins  Monday.' 

"  'I  will  answer  you  after  I  have  heard  from  Super- 
intendent Smith,'  I  replied. 

"She  saw  she  was  in  a  trap.  She  knew  that  he 
wouldn't  verify  those  grades.  She  also  knew  him  well 
enough  to  know  her  certificate  would  be  instantly 
annulled  in  his  county  when  he  learned  the  facts.  So 
after  a  moment's  reflection  she  said: 

' '  'I  really  think  I  had  better  not  accept  that  school, 
Mr.  Cobb.  My  mother  needs  me  at  home,  and  I  will 
continue  to  teach  under  Mr.  Smith.  I  hope  you  will 
not  trouble  about  writing  him.  I  will  just  let  the 
matter  drop.' 

"  'Just  as  you  like,'  I  replied. 

"  'Well,  I  think  it  will  be  best,'  and  she  grew  very 
cordial,  and  bidding  me  good-by,  she  departed. 

"Now  Julia,  that  is  the  first  part  of  it.  What  ought 
I  to  have  done  as  soon  as  she  was  gone?" 

"You  should  have  written  to  Superintendent  Smith 
at  once,  and  told  him  all  about  it." 

"And  let  Smith  annihilate  her  without  com- 
punction?" 

"Why  shouldn't  he?  Had  she  not  committed  a 
crime  that  men  are  doing  time  for  in  penitentiaries? 
Don't  you  think  it  time  when  a  young  woman  is 
caught  in  such  a  trap  to  teach  her  a  lesson  for  life? 
Is  it  any  less  a  crime  to  forge  a  certificate  than  a  note?" 


SILAS  COBB  283 

"No,  Julia,  but  would  you  give  the  poor  girl  no 
show  of  her  life  at  all;  that  is,  would  you  cast  her 
down  without  a  chance  to  repent?" 

"Yes,  cast  her  out,  and  let  her  come  back  when  she 
had  repented.  That  is  the  best  way,  Silas.  Poor  girl! 
I  feel  sorry  for  her,  but  it  takes  a  great  jar  to  break 
one  loose  sometimes  from  some  dangerous  habit 
of  thought.  Isn't  it  sad  to  think  she  would  be  so 
foolish  as  to  do  such  a  dreadful  thing  as  that?  What 
did  you  really  do,  Silas? 

"I'll  read  you  my  letter  to  Smith: 

MY  DEAR  SMITH: — I  am  sorry  to  report  to  you  that 

one  Miss handed  me  her  teacher's  certificate  issued 

by  you  with  standings,  ranging  above  ninety,  showing 
unmistakable  signs  of  having  been  raised  some  thirty 
per  cent  on  an  average.  You  can  verify  this,  and  act 
as  seems  best  to  you.  If  she  were  in  my  county  and  her 
work  was  poor  and  her  heart  wrong,  I  should  revoke  it. 
If  her  heart  was  right  and  she  lacked  a  thorough  ap- 
preciation of  the  crime  she  had  committed,  I  might 
undertake  to  teach  her  a  lesson  that  would  save  her. 
At  any  rate  I  would  act  in  a  manner  that  would  have  a 
decided  effect,  etc.,  etc. 

"Good,  Silas,  you  did  just  right." 

"Do  you  really  think  so." 

"Yes,  I  do.  You  put  it  just  right.  If  her  heart  is 
good,  try  to  save  her;  if  her  heart  is  wrong,  get  her 
out  of  the  teaching  force,  where  none  but  honest 
people  at  least  ought  to  be,  no  matter  what  other  im- 
perfections they  may  have." 

"That  does  me  a  lot  of  good,  Julia.  Don't  you 
always  feel  better  when  some  one  tells  you  you  have 
done  well?" 

"Don't  I  know  it,  Silas?  Have  I  not  cried  over  the 
kind  and  thoughtful  encouragement  you  have  always 
given  me,  just  because  it  made  me  so  happy?  Do  you 


284  SILAS  COBB 

think  I  have  forgotten  that  Sunday  in  church  after  I  had 
told  you  my  trials?  You  leaned  over  and  pressed  my 
hand  and  said,  'You  did  nobly,  Julia.'  Your  heart  was 
in  that  statement,  and  in  many  a  dark,  lonely  hour 
since,  it  has  cheered  me  and  made  me  equal  to  the  test. 
Oh,  I  understand  it,  Silas,  and  I  am  so  glad  I  do;  and 
it  makes  me  very  happy  to  have  you  confide  your  affairs 
to  me,  because  it  shows  you  have  faith  and  confidence 
in  me." 

"Well,  you  see  I  was  worried  about  it  for  fear  I  would 
be  the  cause  of  endless  trouble  to  the  girl,  attaching 
more  importance  to  her  act  than  it  deserved.  It  is  a 
great  responsibility — this  assuming  to  judge  the  moral 
acts  of  others,  but  you  can  have  little  idea  of  the  really 
sad  side  of  this  business  without  going  through  it.  I 
want  to  burden  you  with  one  more  incident.  May  I?" 

''Shame  on  you,  sir,  for  even  asking  me.  Am  I  not 
your  humble  slave?" 

"No,  you  are  not." 

"Why  not,  my  lord?" 

"Because  one  does  not  tell  his  troubles  to  his  slave, 
so  be  good  now  and  don't  dispute  my  word. 

"Well,  to  begin:  about  six  months  ago,  a  sweet  little 
girl,  who  lives  out  in  the  country  north  of  Cowville, 
took  the  examination.  She  was  just  as  nice  as  she 
could  be.  She  was  everything  a  young  maiden  should 
be  so  far  as  personality  was  concerned.  She  failed  to 
pass.  I  talked  the  matter  over  with  her  frankly  and 
took  a  great  deal  of  pains  lest  I  should  discourage  her 
efforts;  told  her  to  keep  studying  and  going  to  school, 
etc.  But  her  parents  were  set  on  her  teaching,  so  she 
was  stuffed  with  a  lot  of  things  and  tried  again  and 
again,  all  against  my  recommendation.  The  poor  little 
thing  would  labor  and  worry  all  day  long  and  when 


SILAS  COBB  285 

night  came  she  would  hand  in  her  papers  wistfully  and 
hopefully.  Every  time  I  looked  at  her  I  would  be 
tempted  to  trample  right  under  foot  and  give  her  a  cer- 
tificate anyhow.  So  on  the  last  day  she  came,  I  marked 
her  papers  as  fast  as  she  finished  them,  and  when  she 
handed  in  her  last  one  she  sat  meekly  by  my  side,  wait- 
ing for  me  to  finish.  She  had  failed  as  usual,  and  I 
knew  it  all  along.  It  was  the  hardest  thing  of  my  life 
to  tell  her  so.  I  had  known  her  for  so  long,  and  had 
seen  her  grow  up  from  a  mere  child  of  ten — she  is  now 
eighteen,  but  small  and  young-looking  for  her  age.  So 
finally  I  told  her.  She  looked  at  me  with  her  sad  eyes, 
and  fumbled  in  her  little  pocket-book  with  trembling 
fingers  and  took  out  a  five  dollar  bill  and  laid  it  on  my 
knee,  and  said,  'Mr.  Cobb,  will  you  please  give  me  a 
certificate  for  that?' 

"You  can  hardly  imagine  my  surprise  and  sorrow. 
The  shock  was  so  unexpected,  coming  from  her — a 
poor,  innocent,  kind-hearted,  lovable  child  who  knew 
nothing  of  bribery,  that  I  cried  out  in  anguish,  'My 
God,  Nellie,  who  told  you  to  do  such  a  thing?  Do  you 
want  to  trample  on  the  heart  of  a  friend  who  has  tried 
to  be  kind  to  you  and  help  you  along?  Oh,  why  did 
you  do  it,  child?  Who  told  you  to  do  such  a  fearful 
thing  as  that?' 

"My  outburst  was  from  the  heart,  because  I  felt  BO 
hurt  and  disappointed  I  could  not  check  myself  before 
I  had  almost  broken  the  girl's  heart.  She  did  not 
understand  the  force  of  what  she  had  done.  I  had  been 
kind  to  her,  and  she  felt  it  and  appreciated  my  friend- 
ship very  much,  so  when  she  saw  that  she  had  mortally 
offended  me,  she  burst  into  tears  and  became  almost 
hysterical.  Between  her  sobs  she  told  me  her  father 
and  mother  had  told  her  to  do  it,  and  said  they  under- 


286  SILAS  COBB 

stood  it  was  customary  to  pay  money  to  public  officials 
for  favors.  If  she  had  been  a  scheming  person  I  would 
have  expected  her  to  make  such  a  proposal,  for  I  am 
pained  to  relate  that  among  certain  ignorant,  foul-minded 
persons  of  this  county  there  is  a  general  impression 
that  public  officers  are  corrupt,  and  can  be  bought.  I 
pity  them  with  all  my  h.eart,  Julia,  and  you  cannot 
imagine  the  pain  and  disgust  I  feel — not  toward  this 
poor  girl — but  toward  those  matured,  criminally  in- 
clined people  who  have  such  deformed  and  detestable 
notions  that  an  ordinary  man  of  honor  could  be  tempted 
to  perjure  himself  for  five  dollars.  It  is  too  revolting 
and  hateful  to  think  about,  and  doubly  so  when  I  think 
of  that  poor  girl  who  was  misled  into  doing  a  thing  she 
will  abhor  to  her  dying  day." 

"Silas,  I  am  proud  that  you  are  my  friend.  You  are 
true  as  life,  and  I  don't  wonder  that  everybody  likes 
you.  I  am  glad  to  be  the  most  ardent  among  them  all." 

"Are  you  really,  Julia?"  and  he  laid  his  hand  on 
hers  as  she  nervously  toyed  with  a  large  red  apple  lying 
in  her  lap. 

"Indeed  I  am,  Silas.  You  are  my  ideal  man.  I  like 
you  very  much." 

"You  are  my  ideal  woman,  Julia,  and  I  love  you 
very  much." 

"And  I — I — love — you  too,  sir." 

"Oh,  Silas,  you  have  spilled  the  apples!  There  now 
— you  bad  man,  you  have  crushed  my  tiger  lily!" 

"Isn't  that  too  bad;  you  looked  so  pretty  with  it  too." 

"Well,  we  can  get  another  one,  Silas,  and  the  apples 
we  can  pick  up  again.  Now  sir,  if  you  hadn't  been  in 
such  a  hurry,  I  should  have  let  you  kiss  me  without 
upsetting  everything."  Thinking  her  jest  might  be 
taken  seriously,  she  leaned  over  against  his  shoulder 


SILAS  COBB 


287 


smiling  and  said:     "But  I   enjoyed  it  so  much,  Silas," 
and  then  burst  out  crying  from  pure  joy. 

So  this  ends  the  tale,  and  the  end  was  not  the  aim  of 
the  story  either.  The  getting  of  a  wife  is  probably  the 
most  important  step  in  a  man's  life,  and  it  has  been 


-Or- 


"She  nervously  toyed  with  a  large  red  apple  lying  in  her  Zap." 

touched  upon  here,  not  for  the  purpose  of  telling  a  love 
story,  but  simply  because  the  hero  needed  a  wife,  and 
he,  out  of  the  nature  of  the  surroundings,  got  one. 
Every  day  such  things  happen  to  men  deeply  absorbed 
in  trade,  and  whose  lives  show  little  sentiment,  yet  they 
take  a  day  off,  each  in  his  turn,  and  take  unto  them- 


288  SILAS  COBB 

selves  wives.  It  is  a  part  of  life,  whether  it  be  in  the 
schoolroom  or  shop;  so  the  author  feels  justified  in 
mingling  this  world-wide  sentiment  into  a  story  told 
with  a  purpose.  It  has  put  a  little  bit  of  the  spice  of 
life  into  a  subject  that  is  affected  with  "dry-rot,"  and 
as  a  result,  it  is  hoped  the  few  lessons  taught  have 
reached  home. 


AFTERWORD. 


The  story  of  Silas  Cobb  closes  with  scarcely  a  year 
and  a  half  of  his  term  of  office  finished;  therefore,  much 
valuable  experience  in  his  career  has  yet  to  be  told. 
Some  day  the  author  hopes  to  tell  what  befell  him  as 
the  years  went  by,  and  how  he  conducted  himself  under 
the  many  trying  circumstances  that  confronted  him. 

There  are  yet  left  among  his  constituency,  the  grand 
old  man,  Boggs,  the  supposed  philosopher,  Caleb 
Fisher,  Sam  Street,  and  others  who  did  not  shirk  their 
duty  when  duty  called  for  action.  In  the  sequel  they 
play  their  parts  well. 


THE    END. 


Outline  for  Study  of  Silas  Cobb 


The  following  excellent  outline  of  Silas  Cobb  for  reading  circle 
work  was  prepared  by  a  committee  of  teachers  appointed  by  Supt. 
W.  J.  Pack,  of  Jones  county,  Mississippi.  Mr.  Pack  has  recently 
made  Silas  Cobb  one  of  the  books  of  the  course  to  be  read  by  all 
teachers. 

SERIES  I. 

1.  State  the  principal  causes  of  the  "Brush  county"  schools  not 

prospering  under  the  supervision  of  "Prof.  Littleman." 

2.  Should  Silas   have  told   Henry   Boggs   about  his  failure  on 

examination? 

3.  Explain  why  all  "Julias"  imperil  the  public  school  system  of 

our  country. 

4.  What  should  a  superintendent  do  when  he  meets  a  "Miss  Win- 

terset"  in  his  schools? 

5.  Do  we  have  "Brush  Creek"  schools  now? 

6.  Show  why  the  standard  of  teaching  represented  by  "Miss 

Josephine  Alger"  is  or  is  not  placed  too  high  for  us  to  reach. 

7.  Contrast  Silas  Cobb  and  Prof.  Littleman  as  to  mode  of  canvas- 

sing. 

8.  What  objections  had  the  teachers  to  Cobb's  plans  for  better 

work? 

9.  What  prompted  Boggs  to  lend  financial  aid  to  Julia? 

10.  How  would  you  interest  a  farmer  in  this  book  and  induce  him 
to  read  it? 

SERIES  II. 

1.  Contrast  Silas  Cobb  and  Prof.  Littleman. 

2.  Contrast  Silas  Cobb  and  Supt.  Smith. 

3.  Contrast  Silas  Cobb  and  Supt  Slowly. 

4.  Contrast  Miss  Alger  and  Miss  Howe. 

5.  Contrast  Andy  Weaver  and  Mr.  Scotland. 

6.  Contrast  Caleb  Fisher  and  Henry  James. 

7.  What  points  in  common  had  the  principal  characters  of  this 

book:  Silas  Cobb,  Miss  Josephine  Alger,  Henry  Boggs  and 
Supt.  Smith? 

SERIES  m. 

1.  What  characteristics  of  the  true  teachers'  work  are  mentioned 

in  chapter  2,  p.  7? 

2.  What  is  Mr.  Stephen's  idea  of  the  privileges  of  pupils  during 

school  hours?— pp.  8  and  19. 

3.  How  should  criticism  be  received  from  higher  authority?— pp. 

9  and  18. 

4.  What  is  the  effect  of  unjust  criticism  upon:    (a)  The  person 

criticised?— pp.  Bl,  62.  (b)  The  critic?— pp.  61,  62  and  97.  (o) 
The  wide-awake  hearer?— pp.  11,  14,  15  and  17.  (d)  The  cred- 
ulous hearer?— pp.  12,  13  and  16. 


5.  What  is  good  order  In  the  schoolroom?— pp.  18  and  19,  179  and 

183. 

6.  In  what  manner  should  a  teacher  do  his  work?— pp.  19,  20  and 

188. 

7.  How  should  the  true  relation  of  worker  and  leader  be  observed 

by  the  teacher  even  when  mistreated:  (a)  In  school  work? 
—pp.  24,  29  and  30.  (b)  In  assemblies  of  teachers?— pp.  25  and 
97.  (c)  In  public  places?— p.  54. 

8.  Is  It  ever  proper  for  the  teacher  to  accept  "political  influence" 

or  "pull?"— pp.  31  and  36. 

9.  What  may  a  teacher  gain  by  dropping  into  a  superintendent's 

convention?— p.  42. 

10.  Can  the  country  schools  be  graded?— p.  38  and  chapter  36. 

11.  What  should  be  the  bearing  of  a  teacher  if  he  wishes  to  gain 

the  confidence  of  the  people? — pp.  55,  56  and  58. 

12.  What  is  due  an  incoming  teacher  or  officer  from  his  predeces- 

sor?—pp.  64-67. 

13.  Why  should  a  teacher  be  a  close  student  of  human  nature?— 

pp.  71, 72,  78,  108  and  149. 

14.  What  treatment  have  we  a  right  to  expect  from  fellow  teach- 

era  and  officers?— pp.  82,  96,  126,  127,  161  and  180. 

15.  Why  should  teachers  hold  frequent  and  regular  meetings?— 

p.  89. 

16.  Can  a  teacher  afford  to  make  mistakes?— p.  90. 

17.  How  may  teachers  improve  their  scholarships  while  in  the 

active  work  of  teaching? — pp.  117  and  125. 

18.  What  double  purpose  may  be  accomplished  by  a  skilful  per- 

son in  shaking  people  loose  from  wrong  ideas?     pp.  149, 150. 

19.  What  duty  does  the  honest  teacher  or  officer  owe  to  the  crafty 

politician?  To  the  gossiper?— pp.  151  and  157;  also  chapter  35. 

20.  What  effect  has  the  incompetent  teacher  on:  (a)  The  teaching 

profession?    (b)  The  community? — p.  164. 

21.  How  may  a  teacher  hold  his  place  from  year  to  year  and  hold 

it  honorably?— pp.  166, 168. 

22.  What  should  a  teacher  do  for  the  schoolhouse  and  grounds? 

—pp.  177,  178  and  180. 

23.  What  influence  may  a  teacher  exert  over  the  appearance  of 

a  community?— chapter  31. 

24.  What  should  the  teacher  give  for  which  she  cannot  be  given  a 

salary?— p.  185. 

25.  Is  a  "rough  house"  ever  necessary  or  justifiable? — chapter  32. 

26.  What  treatment  is  due  all  persons  from  officials?— pp.  281  and 

288. 

27.  Was  Josephine  Alger  a  martyr,  or  did  she  simply  fulfil  her 

mission,  and  live  in  the  highest  sense  known  to  mortal  na- 
ture until  called  to  a  higher  life? 


To  THB  TEACHERS:     Read  Silas  Cobb  carefully.     Answers  to 
all  questions  above  are  found  in  the  book. 


Comments  on  Silas  Cobb 


Z.  B.  McOLUKB,  G R AMD  JUNCTION,  COLO. 

I  am  enjoying  "Silas  Cobb"  very  much. 

J.  T.  GIBBS,  OKAWVILLB,  ILLINOIS. 

I  cannot  tell  you  how  much  I  have  enjoyed  "Silas  Cobb,"  for 
there  are  some  things  that  a  cold  typewriter  cannot  express. 

M.  D.  WELTNEK.  WESTMORELAND,  KANSAS. 
Your  excellent  journal  has  always  been  eagerly  read  and  has 
been  intensely  interesting  the  past  year,  because  of  "Silas  Cobb." 

STATE  SCPEKINTENDENT  ALFRED  BATLISS,  SPRINGFIELD,  ILL. 
The  story  of  "Silas  Cobb"  is  a  happy  hit. 

SUPT.  MBS.  W.  P.  MTEHS,  ALVA,  OKLA. 

I  have  thought  for  some  time  that  I  would  tell  you  how  much  I 
appreciate  your  story,  "Silas  Cobb,"  in  the  COUNTY  SUPBRIN- 
TKNDBNTS'  MONTHLY.  It  is  certainly  a  very  entertaining  and 
helpful  story.  It  is  so  artistic,  so  real. 

SUPT.  GEORGE  DBEWBY,  WALDO,  Wis. 

"Silas  Cobb"  alone  is  worth  the  price  of  a  year's  subscription. 
Can  we  not  secure  it  in  bound  form  later?  We  know  It's  whole- 
some for  the  superintendents;  why  should  it  not  be  good  food  for 
the  teachers? 

SUPT.  J.  A.  TOWNSLEY,  MUSCATINB,  IOWA. 

Have  just  finished  reading  the  January  number  of  your 
MONTHLY  containing  the  story  of  "Silas  Cobb."  The  story  is  a 
daisy  and  true  as  life. 

SUPT.  J.  L.  ROBERTSON,  PEOBIA,  ILL. 

Am  much  interested  in  "Silas  Cobb."  It  should  be  printed  in 
book  form.  I  wish  I  could  send  it  to  every  director  in  this  county. 

SUPT.  G.  M.  MONEY,  SHELBYVILLE,  KY. 
I  like  the  paper  very  much,  especially  the  "Silas  Cobb"  of  It. 

SUPT.  EDWABD  L.  PARMBNTEB,  IBON  MOUNTAIN,  MICH. 
Everything  else  has  to  wait  when  the  MONTHLY  is  laid  on  my 
desk,  until  the  part  devoted  to  Silas  and  his  fortunes  is  absorbed 

SUPT.  W.  N.  STEVENSON,  PIERCE,  NEB. 

I  have  received  a  number  of  very  practical  and  timely  sugges- 
tions through  "Silas  Cobb."  Mr.  Stephens  is  to  be  congratulated. 

A.  J  HESNARD,  HERIIOBA,  S.  D. 

GENTLEMEN:—  Allow  me  to  thank  you  for  sending  me  the  SUPER- 
INTENDENTS' MONTHLY  so  regularly.  The  MONTBXY  is  surely  a 
hit— "Silas  Cobb"  is  just  what  we  needed  and  should  be  in  the 
hands  of  every  teacher  and  district  officer  as  well. 


ELLA  A.  EVERETT,  TRIBUNE,  KAN. 

I  have  been  very  much  interested  in  the  story  of  'Silas  Cobb" 
and  have  gotten  many  useful  hints  from  it. 

W.  GRIFFITH,  WILMOT,  Wis. 

A  real  live  county  superintendent  must  have  written  "Silas 
Cobt>."  It  is  not  a  creation  but  an  experience.  The  characters 
are  real,  are  of  flesh  and  blood  and  exist  Jn  every  county  belonging 
to  Uncle  Sam's  big  estate. 

J.H.  GROVKR,  FRANKFORT,  IND. 

"Silas  Cobb",  has  taught  me  many  valuable  lessons  in  courtesy, 
self-reliance  and  stick-to-it-iveness  and  has  doubled  the  strength 
of  my  backbone. 

W.  T.  DICK,  KEOSAUQUA,  IOWA. 

Have  been  very  much  interested  and  pleased  with  "Silas  Cobb." 
The  story  contains  most  excellent  thoughts  and  suggestions  both 
for  the  county  superintendents  and  teachers. 

A.  E.  WINSHIP,  EDITOR  JOURNAL  EDUCATION,  BOSTON,  MASS. 

MT  DEAR  MR.  STEPHENS:— I  read  the  chapters  of  "Silas  Cobb" 
so  far  published,  and  have  enjoyed  the  story.  It  is  a  good  por- 
trayal of  the  extremes  of  human  nature  among  school  men,  each 
typical  class  that  we  all  know. 

J.  A.  COLLIWS,  WICHITA,  KAN. 

I've  just  finished  "Silas  Cobb"  and  to  say  that  I  was  delighted 
with  the  story  expresses  it  mildly.  You  have  said  just  the  right 
thing  in  the  right  place  and  at  the  right  time  but  the  most 
important  thing  of  all,  you  have  said  it  in  the  right  way. 
The  book  gives  the  whole  law  of  school  management  in  a  most 
readable  story.  Most  books  upon  the  same  subject  are  so  dry  they 
tend  to  drive  one  to  drink.  Were  the  story  dramatized  it  would  be 
a  play  not  unlike  "Way  Down  East,"  "Shore  Acres,"  "Sag  Har- 
bor," and  the  "Village  Postmaster." 

H.  H.  SEERLBT,  (PRES.  OF  STATE  NORMAL,)  CEDAR  FALLS,  IA. 
I  have  taken  the  time  to  read  Mr.  Stephens'  book,  "Silas  Cobb." 
I  can  commend  it  for  its  instructive  and  interesting  character.  It 
calls  attention  to  many  pedagogical  lessons  in  a  successful  way, 
and  will  be  found  readable  by  all  teachers  and  people  interested 
in  school  work.  Two  of  my  children  who  are  not  yet  much  inter- 
ested in  school  work  have  read  the  story  and  are  much  pleased 
with  it.  So  I  can  say  that  it  would  be  a  public  benefit  in  the  com- 
munities where  it  may  be  placed,  as  a  book  in  pedagogy  equivalent 
to  the  best  we  have  in  the  country  for  instruction  of  the  common 

people. 

J.  C.  BAHTLETT,  DREWSET,  ORE. 

I  am  writing  you  to-day,  acknowledging  receipt  of  your  valuable 
book,  "Silas  Cobb,"  and  am  not  going  to  wait  any  longer  in  paying 
for  the  same.  I  have  read  the  book  just  a  little  over  half  through, 
and  can  candidly  and  conscientiously  say  that  I  am  delighted  with 
it;  that  "Si  Cobb"  is  all  right,  and  I  only  wish  you  had  some  more 
books  of  the  same  nature. 


P.  P.  NOLAN,  PLAHKINTON.  S.  D. 

I  have  just  finished  reading  the  story  of  "Silas  Cobb,"  and  it  has 
been  a  revelation  to  me.  It  is  so  realistic  that  I  could  almost  imag- 
ine the  events  which  it  records  transpiring  in  my  own  office,  and  if 
my  future  official  acts  are  on  a  par  with  those  of  the  progressive 
Brush  county  superintendent,  I  shall  consider  myself  fortunate 
Indeed.  Happy  the  young  superintendent  who,  at  the  beginning 
of  his  term  of  office,  has  placed  in  his  hands  a  copy  of  this  valu- 
able book.  It  shall,  henceforth,  be  as  a  beacon  light  to  my  path. 

FRANK  Fox,  PASTOB  COHG.  CHUBCH,  KANSAS  CITY,  KAN. 

I  spent  Monday  with  "Silas  Cobb,"  and  had  a  delightful  day.  I 
wept  and  laughed,  and  was  intensely  interested  to  the  last  page. 
In  my  opinion  it  surpasses  "Eben  Holden."  I  certainly  think  there 
is  a  bright  future  for  you  in  the  literary  world.  You  recognize  the 
heroes  in  homespun.  There  are  multitudes  of  them.  You  never 
know  any  man  until  you  know  the  best  that's  in  him.  This  thought 
it  seems  to  me,  runs  through  the  book.  You  set  a  high  premium 
on  genuine  manhood  and  womanhood.  Too  much  emphasis  cannot 
be  laid  on  that  point.  A  good  heart  and  a  rich  endowment  of  com- 
mon sense,  as  you  forcefully  bring  out,  are  the  best  equipments 
any  man  can  have  to  meet  life's  battle.  I  can't  commend  the  book 
too  highly. 

A.  M.  s A i r."its.  ERIE,  KANSAS. 

Please  send  me  by  express  twenty  (20)  copies  of  "Silas  Cobb" 
at  your  earliest  convenience.  I  have  had  so  many  calls  for  the  book 
that  I  am  compelled  to  order  some  to  supply  the  demand. 

Several  of  my  teachers  have  read  my  copy  and  pronounce  it, 
with  me,  the  best  book  of  the  kind  they  ever  read.  It  is  rich  in 
hidden  hints  and  suggestions,  and  I  am  sure  HO  one  can  read  it  and 
not  be  benefited  thereby.  It  certainly  is  a  great  book. 

Co.  SUPT.  H.  H.  THORNTON,  ALBION,  IDAHO. 

MY  DEAR  Ma.  STBPHEHS:— I  have  read  "Silas  Cobb."  I  want 
to  congratulate  you  on  writing  such  a  book.  It  has  helped  and 
encouraged  me.  Every  county  superintendent  and  teacher  in 
Idaho  ought  to  read  this  book.  Hurry  the  sequel  to  it  for  of  course 
there  must  be  one. 

Ex  STATE  SUPT.  HENRY  SABIN,  DBS  MOINES,  IOWA. 

DEAR  MR.  STEPHENS:— I  have  read  "Silas  Cobb"  with  interest. 
It  is  a  good  portrayal  of  certain  phases  of  school  teaching  which 
unhappily  still  exist  in  some  sections  of  the  country.  It  is  pleas- 
ant to  know,  however,  that  there  is  an  improvement  all  along  the 
line,  and  that  teachers  like  Prof.  Littleman  and  Oliver  Scotland 
are  being  dropped  from  the  list  of  eligibles. 

The  book  contains  many  valuable  lessons  and  is  well  worth  read- 
ing. 

Co.  SUPT.  ANNIE  E.  PACKER,  MT.  PLEASANT,  IOWA. 

The  copy  of  "Silas  Cobb"  was  duly  and  gratefully  received,  and 
has  been  read  by  a  dozen  or  more  people,  who  pronounce  It  the 
best  all-round  presentation  of  the  subject  of  school  supervision, 
its  possibilities  and  its  responsibilities,  yet  made.  When  special 
libraries  are  to  be  selected,  I  shall  call  attention  to  it. 
ELLA  C.  CHANTRY,  GREENFIELD.  IOWA. 

I  want  to  say  a  few  words  in  praise  of  "Silas  Cobb."  I  wish  every 
patron,  as  well  as  every  teacher,  could  read  the  book. 

It  will  help  the  parents  to  see  the  need  of  cooperation  in  the 
school  work,  while  it  aids  the  teacher  to  steer  clear  of  the  "break- 
ers." I  have  read  the  book  twice,  and  have  loaned  it  to  not  less 
than  a  dozen  people.  When  they  return  it  I  ask  them,  "Well,  how 
do  you  like  'Silas  Cobb?'  " 

"Just  splendid;  the  best  book  of  the  kind  I  ever  read." 

I  shall  try  my  best  to  get  the  book  into  at  least  every  township. 
I  hope  that  you  will  have  abundant  success  with  it. 


Phelps  and  His  Teachers 


BY  DAN  V.  STEPHENS 


r  I  ''HIS  book  is  a  story  of  a  boy  and  his  teachers 
*•  from  a  pedagogical  standpoint.  It  has  been  on 
the  market  since  September,  1901,  and  during  that 
time  it  has  passed  through  three  editions  with  a  total 
sale  of  sixty-five  thousand  copies.  No  educational 
story  of  the  century  has  reached  such  a  wide  circula- 
tion. Read  what  is  said  of  it  by  some  of  the  most 
eminent  men  in  America:  (Published  by  Hammond 
Bros.  &  Stephens,  Fremont,  Nebr. ) 

STATB  NORMAL  SCHOOL, 
ATHENS,  GA.,  July  9,1902. 

I  thank  you  exceedingly  for  "Phelps  and  His  Teachers."  I  have 
read  it  with  very  great  interest  indeed.  Every  teacher  In  America 
will  do  well  to  go  through  this  book.  It  Is  a  full-length  delinea- 
tion— wart  and  all — of  teachers  as  they  come  and  go.  I  recognize 
myself  in  the  gallery  of  photographs,  and  did  so  a  little  shame- 
facedly. However,  we  all  make  mistakes.  The  point  is,  not  to  be 
fool  enough  to  make  the  same  mistakes  twice. 
Yours  truly, 

E.  C.  BRANSON,  President. 

STATB  AGRICULTURAL  COLLEGE, 
AMES,  IA.,  June  21,  1902. 

GENTLEMBN:— Your  letter  of  the  20th  inst.,  and  copy  of  "Phelps 
and  His  Teachers"  are  duly  received.  "Phelps  and  His  Teachers" 
is  a  valuable  book  in  presenting  helpfully  the  too  frequently 
neglected  side  of  the  pupil  in  school  teaching  and  management. 
The  endowment  of  greatest  use  to  home  and  state  is  individuality. 
Successful  teaching  always  honors  the  individuality  of  the  pupil. 
This  book  wholesomely  recognizes  and  encourages  the  original 
endowments  of  a  child  that  are  worthy  of  eternal  life.  Many 
thanks  for  copy  of  book.  Sincerely, 

W.  M.  BBARDSHEAR,  President. 

DEPARTMENT  OF  PUBLIC  INSTRUCTION, 
SPRINGFIELD,  ILLINOIS,  June  23, 1902. 

I  have  your  favor  of  the  20th  inst.  notifying  me  that  a  copy  of 
"Phelps  and  His  Teachers"  is  on  the  way.  I  shall  be  very  glad  to 
have  it  for  our  library.  I  have  read  it  in  the  magazine  and  consider 
it  the  equal,  for  graded  school  teachers,  of  "Silas  Cobb"  for  county 
superintendents — and  that  is  saying  a  great  deal.  In  my  visits  to 
institutes  this  summer  I  shall  take  occasion  to  advise  our  teach- 
ers to  read  both  books.  Yours  very  truly, 

ALFRED  BATLISS, 

State  Superintendent. 


STATB  NORMAL  SCHOOL, 
Plan,  NBBK.,  June  27.  1902. 

I  received  a  few  days  ago  a  copy  of  "Phelps  and  His  Teachers." 
which  I  have  read  with  much  interest.     It  is  a  wonderfully  real 
and  concrete  presentation  of  the  underlying  principles  of  good 
teaching.    It  will  do  much  good. 
With  best  wishes  I  am  Cordially  yours, 

W.  A.  CLARK,  President. 

JOURNAL  OF  EDUCATION, 
BOSTON,  MASS.,  June  28, 1902. 

MY  DBAR  STEPHENS:— Indeed  I  have  found  time  to  read 
"Phelps  and  His  Teachers,"  and  it  is  a  pleasure  to  say  I  greatly 
enjoy  the  wit  and  wisdom  which  makes  a  sane  view  of  school  life 
right  good  reading.  I  prophesy  an  even  larger  usefulness  and 
wider  circulation  than  was  won  by  "Silas  Cobb." 

Next  time,  try  your  hand  on  Phelps'  sister  or  some  other  teacher 
and  her  school  trustees.  Yours  sincerely, 

A.  E.  WlNSHIP. 

DEPARTMENT  OF  PUBLIC  INSTRUCTION, 
LINCOLN,  NEBRASKA,  June  19, 1902. 

I  am  in  receipt  of  a  copy  of  "Phelps  and  His  Teachers,"  by  Dan 
V.  Stephens.  Although  I  read  these  very  entertaining  and  highly 
instructive  sketches  in  the  COUNTY  SUPERINTENDENTS' 
MONTHLY,  I  am  pleased  to  have  them  in  this  more  durable  form, 
and  will  place  the  book  upon  my  shelves  for  reference.  I  thank  you 
for  your  courtesy  In  this  matter.  Yours  very  truly, 

W.  K.  FOWLER, 
State  Superintendent. 

CORNELL  COLLEGE,  MOUNT  VEKNON.  IA.,  June  20,  1902. 
GENTLEMEN:— The  copy  of  "Phelps  and  His  Teachers,"  which 
you  were  so  kind  as  to  send  me  has  been  received  and  I  thank  you 
for  your  kindness.    I  cordially  commend  the  book  and  trust  that 
it  will  be  read  by  all  grade  teachers. 

I  placed  book  on  list  I  made  up  for  Iowa  school  libraries.  With 
kind  regards,  I  am  Very  truly  yours, 

H.  H.  FREER. 

STATE  DEPARTMENT  OF  PUBLIC  INSTRUCTION. 
ST.  PAUL,  MINN.,  July  8, 1902. 

DEAR  MR.  STEPHENS:— I  have  read  with  much  pleasure  your 
very  entertaining  and  instructive  book,  "Phelps  and  His  Teach- 
ers" and  I  hope  that  it  may  find  its  way  into  the  handg  of  a  large 
number  of  teachers  in  Minnesota,  as  it  certainly  deserves. 

Yours  very  truly, 

C.  G.  SCHULZ, 

Asst.  State  Sup't  Public  Instruction. 


OMAHA  NBBR.,  June  23,  1902. 

I  have  read  the  little  book,  "Phelps  and  His  Teachers,"  and  I 
feel  like  congratulating  Mr.  Stephens  on  his  manner  of  reaching 
exactly  the  point  which  I  think  teachers  are  in  need  of  instruction 
upon. 

Teaching  is  a  "profession,"  but  it  is  one  of  the  professions  that 
should  never  be  engaged  in  by  one  who  is  not  conscious  of  a  desire 
to  do  good  to  the  child  and  a  knowledge  that  he  cannot  do  good 
to  the  child  unless  he  loves  it.  Love  is  the  greatest,  strong- 
est, and  the  best  power  in  the  world,  and  next  to  loving  God 
is  the  love  to  a  child.  And  if  we  cannot  respect  our  God  we  cannot 
love  Him ;  if  we  cannot  respect  and  love  the  child,  we  cannot  teach 
him.  And  so  every  teacher,  in  my  judgment,  should  examine  his 
own  heart  and  his  own  nature,  and  if  he  is  incapable  of  this  pro- 
pelling force  or  motive,  then  he  should  seek  another  employment, 
and  never  seek  to  be  a  teacher  simply  for  the  money  there  is  in  it. 
He  is  wasting  his  own  time  and  doing  incalculable  damage  to  the 
children.  I  think  the  book  is  a  very  valuable  one  as  instruction 
and  as  an  aid  and  will  be  so  appreciated  by  the  order  of  peda- 
gogues. Yours  truly, 

J.  R.  BUCHANAN, 
Gen'l  Pass.  Agt.  F.,  E.  &  M.  V.  R.  R. 

ALLISON,  IOWA,  June  30,  1902. 

Gentlemen:— I  have  carefully  read  the>copy  of  "Phelps  and  His 
Teachers"  which  you  kindly  sent  me,  and  am  delighted  with  it.  I 
wish  that  every  teacher,  patron,  and  school  director  in  Butler 
county  might  read  it.  I  am  sure  that  no  teacher  can  read  the  book 
without  resolving  to  do  more  for  the  children  entrusted  to  her — 
without  making  a  strong  determination  to  reach  their  hearts  as 
well  as  their  heads.  It  does  us  good  "to  see  ourselves  as  others 
see  us." 

I  hope  to  be  able  to  send  in  an  order  for  a  number  of  copies  soon. 
Will  you  please  send  me  a  copy  of  "Silas  Cobb?" 

Very  truly, 

IDA  F.  LBTDIO. 

FAULKTON,  SOUTH  DAKOTA,  July  2,  1902. 

GENTLEMEN: — I  am  in  receipt  of  a  copy  of  "Phelps  and  His 
Teachers"  and  have  found  it  a  story,  touching,  and  full  of  truths 
which  should  reach  the  heart  of  every  teacher.  I  am  disposed  to 
put  a  copy  in  each  of  the  school  libraries  of  the  county,  where  it 
will  have  a  permanent  place  and  in  most  cases  will  be  read  by  the 
teacher  in  charge.  Very  truly, 

BELL  F.  McCoY. 

CHABITON,  IOWA,  February  4,  1902. 

"Silas  Cobb"  and  "Phelps"  arrived  in  fine  condition,  brimming 
with  helpful  suggestions  and  common  sense.  They  are  so  pleas- 
ing that  I  am  completely  captivated  and  am  impatient  to  have 
every  one  of  my  teachers  make  their  acquaintance.  Thank  you 
heartily  for  them.  Very  truly, 

LAURA  FITCH. 


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Library  or 
MarK  Mullin 


